Benue killings: Military deploys air surveillance, IG takes over security

The military on Sunday deployed air surveillance over Makurdi, Benue State and its environs, following Saturday’s killings in Yelwata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area of the state.

One of our correspondents observed that the surveillance aircraft hovered over the capital city and neighbouring local government areas such as Guma and Gwer West since Sunday morning.

A military officer, who spoken on condition of anonymity since he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said the air surveillance was to monitor the situation in Makurdi and its environs.

“The air surveillance is to monitor the situation of things around Makurdi and its environs, so we will know how to tackle it swiftly.

The residents should not panic, the military is on top of the situation,” the military officer said.

This comes as the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, took over the state’s security.

No fewer than 100 people were reportedly killed and several others injured when terrorists invaded the communities on Saturday.

Following the killings, some protesters on Sunday converged at the Wurukum Roundabouts in Makurdi, carrying leaves and appealed to the Federal Government to protect all the citizens in its sovereignty.

Speaking on their behalf, Brahms Ikuan and Gideon Inyom lamented the incessant killings in the state, saying that the authorities did nothing to protect the people.

The police had to disperse them with teargas after they refused to allow the Deputy Governor, Sam Ode and the Commissioner of Police, Emenari Ifeanyi, to address them.

Speaking with journalists, Ifeanyi said, “The IG has taken over the security of Benue State.

“As I speak to you now, the IG has already sent Special Forces who are already on the ground and more are coming.

“All the Special Forces are intelligence forces, they will go to where the bandits are and get them.

“The ones you see here on the ground just arrived last night. The previous sets have been deployed to Naka, Apa, Agatu, Daudu and Yelewata. We are in control of the situation, so I’m assuring all citizens of the state that we are in control.”

The CP said all the security agencies are united in confronting insecurity in the state, adding that some arrests had been made.

The police boss said Governor Hyacinth Alia had already given security operatives in the state all the necessary support.

“All the logistics, every support we need has been made available by Governor Alia. We want everyone to be patient,” he said.

The police commissioner stated that what happened on Saturday in Yelwata was a result of the deployment of policemen to the troubled Apa and Gwer West local government areas.

He added, “What happened in Yelwata yesterday is because we have taken over Apa, Gwer West and moving seriously in Agatu.

“They just want to do something to show that they are in control while they are not and will never be.

“Whatever is paining you is paining us more. We are here to protect lives and property. We have security everywhere now, even in Yelwata, there are tactical teams in the bush even before the attack.”

The CP said the security agencies already had the intelligence reports on the movement of the gunmen, adding that the results would justify their efforts.

“Give the special forces and tactical teams a room to work. If you prolong your stay here you are giving the enemies more time to plan.

“We have intelligence reports of their movement and we are blocking them and you will see the result,” the police boss told the protesters.

Tinubu orders reconciliation

Following the President’s directive, intelligence chiefs, the police and the military have arrived in the Benue State to direct security operations and restore sanity.

The President equally charged the governor to convene reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties, to end the incessant bloodshed.

“This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue. Our people must live in peace, and it is possible when leaders across the divides work together in harmony and differences are identified and addressed with fairness, openness and justice, the statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said.

Describing the killings and bloodletting as inhuman and anti-progress, Tinubu called on political leaders and community leaders in conflict areas to stop fuelling the crisis through unguarded utterances and statements that could further inflame tensions.

The President said, “The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated. Enough is now enough.

“I have directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them.

“Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings.”

Obi decries killings

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, condemned the latest wave of deadly attacks in Benue State.

He described the mass killings of women, children, soldiers, and displaced persons as a national tragedy that demanded urgent and decisive action.

In a statement shared via his X handle on Sunday, Obi said, “My heart is heavy as I learn of yet another horrific series of killings in Benue of women, children, soldiers, and displaced persons, all senselessly slain.”

The former Anambra State governor described the violence as not just a security failure but a “stain on our collective conscience.

“This is not merely violence. It is a failure of leadership. Every life lost is a Nigerian life, each one precious, each one irreplaceable,” he said.

Obi called on all levels of government – federal, state, and local to rise to their constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, warning that repeated failures undermined the very foundation of the country.

Pope Leo prays for victims

Pope Leo has offered prayers for victims of a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria, where around 200 people were reportedly killed in an attack on rural communities.

Delivering his remarks just before the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope described the violence as particularly devastating, noting that most of the victims were internally displaced persons sheltered by a local Catholic mission in Yelwata.

The pontiff said, “On the night of the 13th/14th June, in the town of Yelwata in the Guma Local Government Area in Benue State in Nigeria, a terrible massacre occurred in which around 200 people were killed with extreme cruelty. Most of whom were internally displaced persons hosted by the local catholic mission.”

Expressing deep concern for Nigeria, he prayed for peace and security in the country and highlighted the vulnerability of rural Christian communities in Benue.

The Pope said, “I pray that security, justice, and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country so affected by various forms of violence.

“And I pray in a special way for the rural Christian communities in Benue State, who have been unceasingly the victims of violence.”

Pope Leo also remembered victims of ongoing conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, and the Middle East during the Angelus address.