President Bola Tinubu has rescheduled his official visit to Kaduna State, earlier billed for tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18.
Instead, he will travel to Benue State that day as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address the persistent conflict affecting communities in the North-Central State, according to a statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga.
The change of plans came on the heels of the gruesome killing of over 200 residents of Yelwata town, Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of the state at the weekend by suspected Fulani killer herdsmen and the international limelight beamed on the unrelenting bloodletting in the State with Pope Leo last Sunday, in Rome, condemning the atrocities and calling for justice, peace and stability.
Also, angry youths peacefully protested the murders in the State, blocking a section of the busy Makurdi-Abuja highway in the process even as prominent Nigerians including former Senate President David Mark called for tough actions by government to stem the blood flow.
Weighing in on the matter, prominent human rights group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) warned President Tinubu and Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, about the explosive nature ingrained in the continuing bloodfests in Benue State, pointing out that the president was playing with fire.
Tinubu’s visit seeks to assess firsthand the recurring crisis that has claimed numerous lives and caused significant destruction, Onanuga stated.
He added: “During his stay, President Tinubu will meet with all stakeholders—including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups—to seek lasting solutions to the hostilities.
“In preparation for the visit, President Tinubu has already dispatched the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies; the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees to Benue State.
“The President is expected to hold a town hall meeting with all stakeholders during the visit.
“President Tinubu has previously condemned the ongoing violence in Benue State and called on all leaders and residents to embrace peace, love, and mutual understanding.
“He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to all those who have suffered losses as a result of the crisis.
“According to his itinerary released over the weekend, President Tinubu was scheduled to visit Kaduna State on Wednesday to commission various state government projects. However, the official visit will now occur on Thursday, June 19, 2025.”
In a statement titled: ‘Killings: Tinubu Playing With Fire, Governor Alia Playing Politics, And Showing Gross Insensitivity’, HURIWA alleged that both Tinubu and Alia “have so far displayed attitudes to the senseless killings of Benue state natives by Fulani terrorists with insensitivity and baseless politicking with the sanctity of the lives of Benue state people.”
HURIWA particularly condemned President Tinubu for “accommodating and tolerating incompetence and inefficiency of his military and police chiefs” just as the body condemned the governor for alleged “dismissive aloofness to the gravity of the situation of mass slaughter of his people by Fulani terrorists.”
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA stated: “It is sad that the Benue State governor that is not just a nominal politician but a trained Philosopher and Theologian and an ordained priest in the Holy Roman Catholic Church has so far shown dismissive attitudes to the genocides going on against his kinsmen, women and especially children by Fulani terrorists masquerading as herders.
“Governor Alia’s statement that his administration and president Tinubu fought the killings from 9 local government areas to 3 is pedestrian, illogical, vexatious and grossly insensitive.
“It shows an offensive level of incompetence on the part of this governor who ought to be a worshipper of truth and shouldn’t play partisan politics with the sanctity of lives of his people.
“His (Alia’s) invitation of armed police to disperse peaceful protesters at the weekend in Makurdi drawn almost entirely from his own people, is vexatious, unconstitutional and illegal because the right to peaceful assembly is guaranteed under the Grund Norm of Nigeria even if the state is under terrorists attacks.
“The statement by the President shows that he is pampering terrorists because of his selfish political ambitions of second term which doesn’t even make sense because Fulani is a minority ethnicity and those killing in the name of Fulani ethnicity are just few bad eggs who are even condemned by many right thinking, rational and God-fearing Fulanis who are opposed to the activities of the few well armed Fulani terrorists.”
HURIWA quoted the President as reacting in the some past press statements signed by Onanuga, one of which ran thus:” I have been briefed on the senseless bloodletting in Benue State. Enough is enough! I have directed the security agencies to act decisively, 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. 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.”
HURIWA said the president is “playing with fire” by allegedly showing that “he tolerates the incompetence of his military chiefs from whom he still receive the brief that formed the media statement he issued which showed a high level of failure to appreciate the enormity of the attacks in Benue state. Why is the president relying on crooked information from his non-performing military chiefs and the failed IGP? Why wouldn’t the President visit Benue state and see things for himself and hear from the victims who managed to survive?”
The rights group said “this President has already made identical reactions to virtually all terrorists attacks that have happened since he came to office”, with HURIWA wondering “how a government who does the same thing all the time is expecting to defeat well determined terrorists and Fulani insurgents. Why can’t the President work with committed professionals, patriots and persons with fresh brains and ideas as service chiefs and IGP including NSA?”
