President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will visit Benue State on Wednesday to address the recent wave of deadly attacks by terrorists and armed herders, which have claimed at least 147 lives, according to Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The president’s visit is aimed at galvanizing security efforts, rallying local support, and initiating community-driven solutions to the persistent violence that has plagued the North-Central state. In a shift of itinerary, Tinubu postponed his planned trip to Kaduna to prioritise the situation in Benue.
The visit follows a series of devastating attacks that triggered youth protests over the weekend. Ahead of his arrival, Tinubu dispatched key security and political figures, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, and heads of intelligence agencies, to assess the situation.
In a statement at the Abuja Water Project launch on Monday, the President said, “While I sympathise with the Benue people… I will adjust my programme and go see them on Wednesday. We are one single family living in different rooms; we must live together in harmony.”
Tinubu is expected to meet with traditional rulers, political leaders, religious heads, youth organisations, and civil society groups in a town hall dialogue aimed at generating homegrown responses to the security crisis.
Governor Alia confirmed 147 deaths, with 127 victims already buried and others awaiting burial or kept in mortuaries. He said the nature of the violence has evolved, identifying the perpetrators as foreign militants rather than local herders.
“These are not just herders,” Alia said. “They are armed terrorists who don’t speak any known Nigerian dialect and move without cattle.”
He also warned that Benue’s porous borders with Cameroon, Taraba, and Nasarawa were being exploited for militant infiltration. He praised federal security interventions, which he said have reduced the number of local government areas under siege from 17 to three.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, condemned the killings as “barbaric” and “inhuman.” In response, IGP Egbetokun ordered the deployment of additional police forces to complement special security units already on ground.
During a visit to Yelwata in Guma LGA, Egbetokun assured the governor and residents of intensified security efforts. Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Christopher Musa, who accompanied him, vowed to crush the attackers and admitted to internal compromise within the security system.
Gen. Musa said, “There have been insiders giving information to bandits. We will change strategy and ensure this is the last attack in Yelwata.”
SGF Akume called on all leaders across political, ethnic, and religious lines to “rise above division” and act urgently for peace. He noted that the root causes of the violence are largely economic, not religious, and commended Tinubu’s swift intervention and deployment of federal support.
“The killings in Benue, Plateau, and Zamfara are economically deterministic,” Akume said, adding that humanitarian support is also underway through NEMA.
Former Attorney-General Mike Aondoakaa also urged Benue leaders to close ranks in unity. “This is not the time for blame or clannish sentiments. The enemy before us does not care who we are,” he said.
Governor Alia expressed hope that the president’s visit would restore confidence among displaced persons and signal that Benue is not abandoned.
“This visit is a balm to our wounds,” he said, “and a sign that we are not alone.”
As security forces intensify their presence and communities prepare to meet with the president, many in Benue hope Tinubu’s intervention marks the beginning of a lasting solution to the bloodshed that has long plagued the state.