The valley of blood in Nigeria has reopened its veins, and Benue State is once again its sacrificial ground. In what has become a horrifyingly familiar pattern, over 200 lives were reportedly extinguished in cold blood in the most recent senseless massacre. These are not mere numbers; they are persons and names, they are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, uncles and aunties, they are elders and children, they are students and workers. They are all citizens of Nigeria, slaughtered in their homeland without war, neither in an earthquake, nor as a result of an epidemic. Regrettably, amid all these repeated carnages, the Nigerian government, save for fleeting headlines and political comments, appears helpless.
Benue, the “Food Basket of the Nation,” now reaps harvests of death. Sadly, the Ministry of Agriculture, in responding to the acute food deficit in the nation, would rather call for prayer and fasting than call attention to the factors that keep farmers away from their farms and their ancestral homelands. Like has happened severally in some other parts of the country, this tragedy is not a sudden outburst, it is the culmination of a long line of unchecked violence, state failure, official silence, and muted outrage.
On February 21, 2016, over 500 people were butchered in Agatu in one of the most savage attacks in recent Nigerian history. On January 1, 2018, 73 persons were murdered in coordinated attacks across Guma and Logo Local Government Areas. Two months later, on March 5, 2018, another 26 mourners were gunned down during a burial ceremony in Mbalom. On April 24, 2018, two Catholic priests, Rev. Fathers Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, were killed alongside 17 parishioners at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Ayar-Mbalom, all during early morning Mass. In a daring move and an ultimate slap to the sovereignty of this nation, the killers then returned later that day to burn down over 60 houses.
In May 2021, 36 people were again slaughtered in Shikaan, Mbagena-Kpav, in Katsina-Ala LGA, mostly university students. On April 7, 2023, Good Friday, 136 persons were killed in Umogidi, Apa LGA, and in nearby communities. Between June and October 2022, Gbeji, Ukum, and Logo communities saw repeated attacks, leading to over 200 deaths in just four months. In January 2023, fresh killings erupted in Akpuuna and Diom communities of Ukum, with dozens more buried in mass graves. The tragedy of June 2025, where over 200 civilians were murdered, is therefore simply the latest act in a long-running genocide that the Nigerian state continues to tolerate under different excuses. The blood has not dried.
The media and state actors must stop euphemising this horror in the land with narratives such as: “herder-farmer clashes,” “ethno-religious tension,” “communal misunderstandings.” We all know these are not true, but a cowardly whitewash, an insult to the dead, and a license for more killing. The truth is harder to say, but it must be said: this is terrorism. It is systematic, deliberate, and sustained. Yet, the Nigerian government has refused to officially designate the assailants as terrorists, even while the scale and structure of their operations outmatch that of the perpetrators of these crimes in some regions.
The scale of devastation defies reason. Over the last decade, the death toll in Benue State alone is estimated to have exceeded 5,000, with over 1.5 million persons internally displaced, according to reports by Amnesty International and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Many towns of Agatu, Guma, Logo, Kwande, Katsina-Ala, and more have been razed, rebuilt, and razed again. Crops are destroyed, schools deserted, places of worship desecrated, and mass graves dug with alarming regularity. By 2021, Benue had recorded at least 14 major mass killings, with no single conviction secured in any court of law against the perpetrators. What does this say about the value of Nigerian lives in Nigeria? What does this say about the government in Nigeria? How truly sovereign is a nation that cannot protect its citizens from internal and external aggressors?
The Nigerian Constitution in Section 14(2)(b) declares that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.” This sacred charge has not only been neglected; it has been profaned. Over the years, the government’s response has consistently wavered between feigned concern and deadly indifference. Condolence visits have replaced decisive actions; press statements have become palliatives and substitutes for justice. The government has failed to provide for the citizens the same protection they give to themselves. The government has failed to protect the sanctity of life in Benue.
The situation is further worsened because some voices that have dared to cry out for justice have been hounded and intimidated. Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi has become a thorn in the conscience of the nation, not because he lies, but because he dares to tell the truth. He has persistently raised the alarm, documented the horror, and exposed the government’s silence. For his courage, he has received threats. But his voice echoes the long-suffering cry of his people. He has declared publicly that the killings are not random but are part of an orchestrated attempt to exterminate the indigenous people of Benue from their ancestral lands. He is not alone.
Also Read
- EFCC alerts Nigerians on rising virtual asset, investment frauds
- Akume debunks report of jostling for APC national chairmanship
- I was most demonised person under Jonathan administration – Shettima
- Shadow Government: Court fixes date to deliver judgment in DSS’ suit against Pat Utomi
- Only court can stop Lagos council election – LASIEC boss
Pope Leo XIV was prompt in condemning the evil visited on the people, praying for their souls and urging the Nigerian government to act in defence of the people. On their part, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) had issued no less than six communiqués since 2016 condemning the killings in different parts of Nigeria and demanding justice; most notably the communiqués of February 2018, May 2018, and March 2022. Yet, their calls have unfortunately been ignored. The bishops, who do not carry guns but wield moral authority, have repeatedly warned that when the state abandons its constitutional role, the people may be forced to defend themselves. One would really wish that the government and those in positions of authority would harken to this one call, the protection and preservation of life, for the good of the people and the nation.
The question now is not just “who are the killers?” but “why is the government refusing to name them and overcome them?” Is it fear of losing political capital? Is it complicity? Is it ethnic solidarity outweighing constitutional duty? These questions may sound harsh, but they must be asked. When the state fails to defend the defenceless, it is hard not to tag it a co-conspirator in their demise. When voices in power maintain neutrality in the face of evil, they echo Pilate’s complicity, washing their hands while innocent blood cries from the soil. This may be worse than Pilate.
There is a clarion call on all citizens of Nigeria, whether as individuals or groups; the civil organisations, professional bodies, all ethnic groups, religious bodies, young and old. It is a dangerous choice to be quiet. To remain silent is to join the slaughter. To rationalise it is to empower the killers. To minimise it is to betray our shared humanity. If the vampires who perpetrate these crimes are not yet satisfied, they hardly would be, and the land becomes a desolate graveyard, it may one day be your turn or mine, because the boundaries of terrorism are not geographic but moral. A nation that tolerates mass murder in one region lays the foundation for its spread to all others. Let us be wary!
Let the President, the National Assembly, the judiciary, the military, and all security agencies heed the cry of the people of Nigeria, from Benue to Jos, Kaduna to Bornu, from Edo to Enugu: history will remember. Everyone is from one part or the other of this country. If you think your area is not yet under attack, your right action today will save your own people tomorrow. The people of Benue, no part of Nigeria, must not be treated as collateral damage; they are full citizens of Nigeria. They deserve full protection from the State, not political rhetoric, but decisive action to put an end to the unwarranted killings and displacements.
The nation demands accountability, not condolences; decisive action, not diluted speeches. Nigerians demand justice, not a recycling of euphemisms.
And they demand it now, not tomorrow, because even the earth is tired of drinking innocent blood.
#Benue #benuestate #protectlives #everylifematters #EndInsecurity.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
