Hundreds of displaced residents from Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State staged a protest in Makurdi on Thursday, decrying poor living conditions, lack of food, and alleged government neglect after the gruesome killing of over 200 villagers by suspected armed herders.
The demonstrators—now sheltered at the Makurdi International Ultra-Modern Market—marched through Abu King Shuluwa Road, halting traffic and chanting solidarity songs. Many carried placards demanding urgent intervention from the state and federal governments or a return to their ancestral homes.
Their frustration was amplified by claims that a ₦12 million donation—₦10 million from Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and ₦2 million from a serving senator—has not been disbursed fairly.
"We were brought here and left to starve," one protester, Liambe, lamented. "Even the money Senator Akume gave us, we haven’t seen a dime of it."
Government Claims Protest Was “Sponsored”
In response, the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (BSEMA) dismissed the protest as politically instigated. Speaking on behalf of the agency, Administrative Officer Dr. Donald Komgbenda insisted the IDPs were being profiled before aid could be distributed.
Komgbenda said the camp initially hosted 190 people, but the population had swollen to over 3,500, complicating logistics.
"We were profiling them and distributing raw food in blocks," he said. "Some people stirred anxiety and turned it into a protest, using food as an excuse."
He added that the SGF had directed ₦6 million be disbursed directly to the community, while the remaining ₦6 million would be used for camp operations.
Obi, Atiku, Farotimi Slam Tinubu’s Visit as “Insensitive Spectacle”
Prominent Nigerians have condemned President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State, describing it as tone-deaf and politically orchestrated.
Peter Obi, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, criticized Tinubu’s visit as a “campaign rally in disguise.”
"The President came dressed in celebratory agbada, not mourning attire. Schools were shut down, and children danced in the rain instead of grieving. What kind of nation does this?" Obi queried on X.
"This was a moment for empathy and action, not optics and applause."
He lamented that instead of mourning the slaughtered children, mothers, and fathers, the visit was turned into what he called a “carnival of impunity.”
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, through his media adviser, also described the visit as a “political theatre.”
"The same government that failed to prevent the killings sent security officers to tear gas peaceful protesters demanding food and justice. This is not leadership," Atiku’s camp said.
Rights lawyer Dele Farotimi took it further:
"It would have been better if Tinubu didn’t visit at all. What happened was more like dancing on the graves of innocent victims."
He praised the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, for boldly calling the massacre a “well-planned genocidal invasion” during the president’s visit—one of the few voices, he said, that spoke truth to power.
Tinubu Tasks Akume to Coordinate Crisis Committee
In a belated show of action, President Tinubu has directed the SGF, George Akume, to coordinate a stakeholder committee to seek lasting peace in Benue. The committee will include traditional rulers, former governors, and other leaders who are to meet with the president in Abuja.
According to the SGF’s spokesperson, the president’s visit to Benue reaffirmed “the government’s commitment to resolving the crisis under his Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Yari Defends Tinubu, Says Killers Won’t Go Free
Senator Abdul-Aziz Yari, defending the president, said Tinubu’s decision to visit Benue personally shows leadership, insisting that the perpetrators “will not get away with this.”
"The president doesn’t make empty threats. Those behind the killings will be brought to justice. Whatever their motive, we will uncover it,” Yari stated.
Police Trust Fund Boss: Benue Killings Must Not Be Normalised
Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF), Femi Sheidu, called for the arrest of the attackers, stressing the importance of a responsive policing system.
"These killings must not become routine. Peace is fragile, and our institutions must be swift and decisive."
The Bigger Picture
While leaders issue promises and statements, the Yelewata IDPs remain stuck between grief and hunger, haunted by the massacre and disillusioned by what they see as political theatre masking as empathy.
In the words of one protester: “If they can’t feed us, they should let us go home and die with dignity."
