By Erasmus Ikhide
THE monstrous bastards; heartless beasts, and the unwashed dogs who slaughtered and roasted tens of hundreds innocent men, women and children in the sanctuary of sleep in Benue State and their sponsors have now be emboldened to conduct more of such genocide.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the heads of the security agencies’ insulting and dehumanizing outing with the service chiefs and other paramilitary security agencies gambit in Makurdi— Benue State capital — without getting to the scene of the genocide in Yelwata on June 18th has further dampened the spirits of the traumatized people.
It’s clear that Tinubu’s refusal to visit the scene of the pogrom is meant to satisfy arabised northern religious ethnic chauvinists who have been longing for the ultimate destruction of Benue State, right from the Agatu holocaust that claimed over 500 lives, while 7,000 people where displaced in 2016, and several other instances of ruthless massacre of Benue people.
In April 2022, over 25 civilians were killed in coordinated attacks by Fulani terrorists across Guma LGA. Just this year, between February and May 2025, over 150 fatalities were recorded in Guma, Logo, and Ukum LGAs. A separate incident in Gwer West on May 25 claimed at least 20 more lives. If ordinary citizen like Very Dark Man (VDM) can find his way to Yelewata; President Tinubu the National Security Adviser (NSA), Service Chiefs and other heads of Security Agencies have no excuse — other than acting the scripts of the northern oligarchs.
The first sign of their lost humanity manifests when the Governor, allegedly on the instruction of the President, lined up school children who should be mourning their classmates and parents were mandated under the rain to sing and dance for President Tinubu to the admiration of, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (NSA), General Christopher Gwabin Musa (CDS), Kayode Egbetoku (IGP), Mr. Adeola Ajayi DG of (DSS) as President Tinubu attired himself in a flowing and colourful agbada in a joyful atmosphere, devoid of mourning.
President Tinubu’s Benue State visit and his team of the nation’s agencies was a tragical scene of arrival of power trapped overfed chalants who deliberately turned condolence visit to carnival orchestra for political gains. The red carpet treatment given to President Tinubu was the type given to those arriving for an Award, in this case it’s an Award for treating the mater of insecurity with kids gloves.
A time that should be marked by silence, solemnity, sobriety, and deep intospection was polluted by Tinubu for President 2027 banners, music, and rehearsed spectacles that signposted Tinubu and his security agencies deprived humanity. That Tinubu chose to churn out his rabid campaign troops and turn the funeral space to a festival, then something tells us that Nigeria obsequies, is around the corner.
Secondly, from the Makurdi jamboree, it was only obvious that Tinubu is completely caged by the forces of darkness who doesn’t want him to know the state of the nation’s security emergency. By the same token, the person of the Inspector-General is also far removed from the unfoldiing massive scale of insecurity in the land. How come that President Tinubu got to know on that occasion that no single arrest has been made. That in itself might sounds nuc dimittis for the country since the tenuous cord binding the entity together could snap irretrievably.
Thirdly, General Musa was reported in the Punch Newspaper as saying
“These criminals were harboured by people in the community. They were given food. They were even given women. They were guided on where the IDP camp was located. Yet, security forces received no information,” he said. According to the CDS, misleading information initially diverted troops to other locations, while the attackers struck Yelwata using a swift hit-and-run tactic”.
I would be shocked if General Musa truly made much unprofessional statement, instead of telling the world how many of the people who harboured the terrorists have been arrested. If his claims are correct that misleading information initially diverted troops to other locations, then my earlier position that the nation’s security architecture is archaic and operates on stone age war tactics, can’t be truer!
Beyond security concerns, the gross insult on the people of Benue State and Nigerians by President Tinubu’s failure to visit Benue massacre site is evicerating. In times of crisis, leaders are expected to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and a commitment to understanding the situation on the ground. By failing to visit the scene, President Tinubu and the Security Chiefs have shown a callous disregard for the lives lost and the long suffering people of Benue State.
The absence of these leaders at the site of the massacre, raises serious questions about their accountability and willingness to take responsibility for the security of Nigerian citizens. If they are unable or unwilling to visit the scene of such a heinous crime, how can they be expected to effectively address the root causes of the violence and provide justice to the victims?
The only option left is for President Tinubu, the NSA, Chief of Defence Staff, IGP, DSS DG, and all relevant security agencies to take immediate action namely; visit the scene of the massacre and pay their respects to the victims, conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and bring perpetrators to justice, develop effective strategies to prevent similar attacks in the future, provide support and compensation to the families of the victims.
The people of Benue State deserve better. Nigeria deserves better. It is time for our leaders to demonstrate the leadership and empathy required to address the security challenges facing our nation. Anything short of that, leaves their humanity to manifestly hang precariously in the balance.
Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: ikhideluckyerasmus@gmail.com
