Benue Residents Say Attacks Genocidal, Lament Delayed Justice

Omolabake Fasogbon

Residents of crisis-stuck Benue State have described persistent attacks in the state as genocidal, lamenting further government’s failure to deliver swift justice and protect vulnerable communities.

The residents demanded robust security measures and a lasting solution to what they perceive as ongoing campaigns of ethnic cleansing in the state. 

These concerns were raised at a town hall meeting convened by a private television station in Makurdi, the Benue State capital recently with key stakeholders, including traditional rulers, activists and security operatives in attendance. 

The meeting came amid a surge of deadly attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands in the state. Since 2009, hundreds of attacks allegedly by Fulani militia have been recorded across more than 110 communities in Benue, resulting in the death of thousands of people and displacing over two million. 

The past two years alone have seen more than 1,000 lives lost, underscoring the urgency of intervention. 

Aggrieved residents at the meeting described the violence as a systemic and targeted pattern, worrying further that government interventions were insufficient compared to the scale of devastation. 

Although, Executive Chairman Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, Dr. Amos Gizo, ascribed the crisis to climate change and resource competition, affirming government’s efforts, residents insisted ongoing violence reflects deeper ethnic and political tensions requiring sincerity and justice.

Condemning the attacks, a community member, Ier Jonathan-Ichaver said, “These attacks are genocidal. There’s an ethnic cleansing going on in Benue state. The government needs to do more than make statements. We need visible action, arrests, prosecutions, and compensation for lives and properties lost.”

Addressing residents, Managing Director of News Central, Mr. Kayode Akintemi, reiterated the station’s commitment to upholding the truth and furthering solutions-oriented journalism.

“This initiative seeks to amplify the voices of those affected and foster a dialogue that can help break the cycle of violence in Benue State,” he declared.