President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has delivered a scathing rebuke to Nigeria’s top security and intelligence chiefs over the relentless bloodshed in Benue State, demanding urgent answers and swift action against the perpetrators of the carnage.
On Wednesday, during a high-stakes visit to the state, Tinubu met behind closed doors with security chiefs and key stakeholders, where he vented his deep frustration at the continued killings and the apparent paralysis of law enforcement.
“How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be arrests of those criminals,” the president thundered, his voice echoing the sentiments of a nation growing weary of violence without justice.
Present at the tense meeting were the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Mohammed Mohammed; and Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Adeola Oluwatosin Ajayi, among other top security brass.
Tinubu’s visit comes in the wake of yet another gruesome massacre in Yelewata, reportedly perpetrated by armed herders, leaving dozens dead and communities devastated. The president, visibly agitated, tasked the security chiefs with a clear directive: identify, arrest, and prosecute those behind the atrocities that have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced across Benue State.
Speaking directly to General Musa, Tinubu said, “Thank you very much. I watched your comments and I know you can’t be tired of staying in the bush. And to Oloyede and the Air Marshal—thank all of you. But we must keep our ears to the ground. Let’s get those criminals out—let’s get them now.”
Turning to the intelligence chiefs, he added, “DG NIA and DG SSS, I need you to retreat your information channels. Give me tangible intelligence. We must ensure this horror does not happen again.”
Despite the gravity of the security situation, the president’s visit was marked by scenes of orchestrated pageantry, as school children lined the rain-soaked streets of Makurdi to welcome his motorcade. This, despite a declared public holiday and the punishing downpour that left many shivering and drenched.
Reports indicate that primary and secondary school students were directed by school authorities to stand along the roads hours before the president’s arrival. Some of the pupils, speaking to News Central TV, expressed confusion and discomfort but obeyed the orders to show up.
Eyewitnesses described a surreal and unsettling contrast: while families mourned their dead in Yelewata and other parts of the state, young children, soaked and cold, waved soggy flags under the rain for a president seeking answers.
President Tinubu’s visit, though brief, has intensified pressure on Nigeria’s security architecture to move from rhetoric to action. As the blood of innocent citizens continues to soak the soil of Benue, the nation now watches to see whether this latest presidential directive will mark a turning point—or become another forgotten promise in the shadow of violence.
PIONEER NEWS 