The Nigeria Online Media Alliance (NOMA) has condemned in strong terms, the recent brutal killings in Yelwata, Benue State and other North Central towns, where dozens of innocent civilians have been slaughtered in unprovoked attacks.
The tragic incidents through deadly attacks on villages and an ambush on commuters, underscore the seeming failure of the security architecture to protect lives and properties; making the villages vulnerable to such insipid attacks im the Middle Belt.
For over a decade, communities within the North Central region have been turned into slaughtering battlegrounds, leading to the killings of thousands of people, with the recent one becoming a slap on the wrist despite the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Olufemi Oluyede, relocating to Benue state with a view to forestalling further killings.
The attacks allegedly carried out by Fulani herders and terrorists, have rendered many people homeless thereby increasing the number of refugees in their own communities.
Homes, farms, and schools have become targets. The frequency and ferocity of these attacks demand more than routine condemnation they require urgent, strategic, and accountable government’s response.
In a press statement released and signed by NOMA’s Public Relations Officer, Oluwamuyiwa Oyedele, the Chairperson of the association, Moses Theresa, other members join the voices of affected families and concerned Nigerians in calling for a complete overhaul of current security approaches in Benue and other vulnerable regions. It is no longer enough to deploy troops without sustainable engagement with local communities.
Rather, a workable security strategy that will bring the terrorists to their kneels, such that would thwart every attempt to instigate another bloody attack in Benue state and in other regions, must be fashioned out.
As the President is paying a visit on Wednesday, 18th June, 2025, as a sign of leadership and to empathize with the affected communities, let such proactive engagement bring about measures to address the root causes of insecurity that will ultimately galvanize fostering sustainable and permanent solutions to the spiralling killings of innocent Nigerians.
Therefore, at NOMA, we urge President Bola Tinubu, Governor Hyacinth Alia, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Service Chiefs (Army, Navy and Airforce), the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, and the entire Intelligence community to prioritize intelligence-led kinetic and non-kinetic approach to rout the killers and frustrate further attacks.
By so doing, it is only when the killers are arrested and maximally punished that there will be justice for the victims, which will culminate into long-term peacebuilding measures.
With the President’s intention to hold stakeholders’ meeting during his visit, further dialogue and equitable resource allocation are options that could bring peace and tranquility; not only to the North Central region, but other troubled parts of the country where security seems to have slumped.
Once again, the killings in Benue are not isolated they are symptomatic of a national crisis that must be addressed with political will, urgency, and empathy. NOMA stands ready to amplify these calls for justice and accountability until lasting peace is restored.
Without peace, justice and equity, no nation can develop politically, economically and otherwise to meet the daily needs of the citizenry, thereby opening its frontiers for foreign investors and economic emancipation.
Lastly, just as the IGP Egbetokun rightly said during his visit, “a day will come when these bandits would come to operate as they used to, they will not return; that day is drawing nearer and I can assure you that we are committed to this battle and will win,” it’s high time all manners of attacks are obliterated from North Central Nigerian states of Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Taraba and Benue.
As these killings by militias, fulani herders have gone on for several years, and are increasing in frequency, let’s use Yelwata as a bus stop to end every form of attacks that have despatched thousands of Nigerians to their premature graves.
Nigeria is not a slaughter’s slab. The time is now to end this circle of mindless, insensitive and uncanny killings.
