Benue genocide: Tinubu's calling the killings a "reprisal attacks" by warring groups is appalling, a cruel distortion of truth - Okechukwu Nwanguma

Mr. President, This Is Not Leadership — It Is Abdication. By Okechukwu Nwanguma President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I write to you with a heavy heart — compelled by conscience, outraged by injustice, and deeply disturbed by the tone-deaf statement released on your behalf by Mr. Bayo Onanuga, your Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Apart from your unconstitutional declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State, this is the most insensitive and misguided public communication to have come from your presidency. How did you, Mr. President, respond so late to what amounts to genocide in Benue State? The world has seen the images — charred bodies of babies, children, women, entire families hacked and burnt alive in their homes. The Pope responded before you did. How can the Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be so distant from such horror? Your statement didn’t reassure. It exposed paralysis. You told the world you were “directing security chiefs to implement your earlier directive.” So your first order wasn’t implemented? You are neither disciplining anyone nor changing strategy. You’re simply reissuing an ineffective order — after hundreds of innocent lives have been lost. Who really holds power in your government — you, or the security chiefs who ignore your commands? This isn't just failure; it’s surrender. What exactly is the logic of your government’s approach? Less than two weeks ago, your Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, said he was relocating to Benue to “stem the tide of violence.” What has he done? Where is the result? And if no one in the chain of command can enforce peace, what is the function of government? Your language in the statement is appalling. You describe what happened in Yelwata as “reprisal attacks” — as if the men, women, and children burned alive had launched some attack to provoke this massacre. What is your evidence? Where did the people of Yelwata go to kill others before being murdered in their hundreds? Calling these “warring parties” is a cruel distortion of truth. Even your own party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue, described the incident as “an unprovoked and barbaric massacre... a calculated ethnic cleansing campaign.” So which version of the truth should we believe — yours or your party’s? Let’s be clear: these are not reprisal attacks. This is genocide. And your administration’s casual framing of it is shameful. This is not the time for moral equivalence. It is time for decisive, lawful, and visible leadership. What You Must Do Now * Declare a constitutional state of emergency in Benue State. Use the powers granted to you under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution. You do not need to suspend the Governor or the House of Assembly — that would be unconstitutional. But clearly, the Governor is overwhelmed, and you are empowered to act, especially as he has failed to request action in a timely manner. * Launch a comprehensive security operation in the state. This should involve all arms of the military and police, coordinated directly from the National Security Adviser’s office and the Defence Headquarters. All existing operations, including Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), should be integrated into this mission. Those already arrested — including bandits and armed herders — should face swift justice. No mercy for murderers. * Visit Yelwata immediately. Stand with the survivors. Address them. Mourn with them. Assure them that justice will be served. Announce a relief and reconstruction package. Let the world see you acting like the President of a country that values the lives of all its citizens. * End the charade of “dialogue” with killers. Stop pressuring Governor Hyacinth Alia to engage in reconciliation with terrorists. There is no dialogue with genocidal actors — only justice. Mass murderers should be prosecuted, not placated. Dialogue without justice is what got us here in the first place. Mr. President, Nigerians are watching. The world is watching. And history is watching. This is your test. This is your Rubicon. Do not cross to the wrong side of history.