Tinubu Orders Security Chiefs To Restore Peace In Benue Following Deadly Attacks

President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to immediately enforce his earlier mandate aimed at restoring lasting peace and security in Benue State after a fresh wave of killings over the weekend.

According to presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu issued the renewed order in response to deadly reprisal attacks that claimed dozens of lives in the state. As a result, top intelligence officials, police operatives, and military personnel have arrived in Benue to oversee operations and restore calm.

The violence in Yelwata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area sparked massive protests on Saturday. In response, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is expected to visit the state today.

Security presence has been ramped up across Makurdi and surrounding areas, with surveillance operations by the military underway. Many residents in border communities between Benue and Nasarawa have fled their homes following the attacks. Unconfirmed reports suggest over 200 people may have been killed in the Yelwata and Daudu incidents alone.

In protest, thousands of aggrieved residents gathered as early as 7 a.m. at the Food Basket Roundabout in Wurukum, Makurdi, wielding palm fronds and chanting solidarity songs. They demanded immediate intervention from federal and state authorities to stop the killings.

Efforts by Benue State Police Commissioner Ifeanyi Emenari and Deputy Governor Samuel Ode to disperse the demonstrators were unsuccessful.

Popular social media activist Martins Otse, better known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), later joined the protesters and managed to de-escalate the situation. His arrival drew significant attention, as many rushed forward to see him.

Speaking to the crowd on Bank Road, VDM urged the youths to dismantle roadblocks and extinguish bonfires. “Gone are the days when youths destroy during protests,” he said. “On my way here, I saw what I had never seen in my life—children burnt to ashes, barns, and farmlands destroyed in Yelwata. Yet we have a government?”

He added: “It’s heartbreaking that foreigners can enter our land and slaughter our people without consequence. Insecurity has rendered youths jobless, as no one wants to invest in a state riddled with violence. The government must act—urgently.”