Leaders of Benue communities in the diaspora have rejected President Bola Tinubu’s statement suggesting that the killings in Benue state by criminal fulani herdsmen is a communal conflict.
In an open letter issued following the June 14 massacre in Yelewata, Guma LGA, where over 200 people were reportedly killed by suspected armed herders, the diaspora group said the call by the president for reconciliation meetings between warring parties was misplaced.
The letter jointly signed by Akaa Ayangeakaa, a representative of the Tivs in the diaspora, and Edwin Ochai, representing the Idoma community in the diaspora, insisted that the attacks amount to terrorism.
The letter declared that Benue people are not involved in a conflict that requires reconciliation between equals..
The letter reads: “With due respect, Mr. President, we disagree strongly with your directive. You have asked the Governor of Benue State to hold reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties.
“But we must clarify: the people of Benue are not at war with the Fulani or any other group.
“We are not involved in a conflict that requires reconciliation between equals.
“How do we reconcile with those we do not know, those who attack without warning and disappear, leaving only blood, ashes, and unbearable grief?
“These attackers do not come to negotiate. They come to kill, destroy, and seize land that does not belong to them. This is not a conflict. This is terrorism! This is ethnic cleansing!
“Therefore, labelling it otherwise trivializes the victims’ suffering and normalizes the actions of those uninterested in peace, but only in conquest.
”If true peace is your aim, then the starting point must be honesty and justice, not false balance. The path to harmony does not begin by equating victims and perpetrators.
“It is disingenuous to call for reconciliation when not a single herder has been arrested or prosecuted for the atrocities committed.
“Justice must precede reconciliation; otherwise, peace becomes a hollow word and impunity a norm. Remember that Benue State, known as the food basket of the nation, plays a vital role in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
“The farmers in the state do not engage only in subsistence agriculture; they are the backbone of large-scale farming that feeds millions across Nigeria and generates export produce beyond Nigerian borders.
“To treat Benue’s crisis as a local conflict is to ignore the national and regional consequences of destabilizing a major agricultural hub that sustains the food security of Nigeria and elsewhere.
“The good people of Benue State have always been peaceful and have supported the Nigerian federation.
“We voted overwhelmingly for your candidacy in 2023 because we believed in your message of renewed hope. That hope is now hanging by a thread.
“The federal government and security agencies must act with urgency and fairness. Communities must be protected, displaced persons resettled, and those responsible for these heinous crimes brought to book.
“Anything short of this is an abdication of constitutional responsibility and a betrayal of the people’s trust.”
On Monday, David Mark, the former senate president, said the “failure” of the federal government to address attacks in Benue state could force residents to resort to self-help.
Group rejects Tinubu’s call for reconciliation in Benue, says terrorists behind killings, not conflict
