Benue Killings: Over 500 People Murdered Since Tinubu Became President

When Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office as Nigeria’s president in May 2023, he promised renewed hope and a more secure nation. But the incessant Benue killings and other unfavourable economic conditions have left Nigerians in doubt of any hope in sight.

Since his inauguration, over 500 innocent Nigerians in Benue have been brutally murdered in waves of mass killings that have become horrifyingly routine. Children were shot in their sleep. Women were hacked to death while cooking. Men were buried in mass graves. Entire communities were wiped out, yet the president’s body language insinuates he’s unmoved by this disaster.

Many Nigerians, including the opposition, have criticised President Tinubu for only issuing statements from the comfort of his palatial residence and not considering visiting the scene of the Benue killings and empathising with families of the victims.

The Blood Keeps Flowing

• In August 2024, gunmen invaded Ayati Village and slaughtered at least 30 people. There was no swift presidential address. No decisive action. Just another condolence tweet—if that.
  
• May 2025 saw coordinated attacks on four communities—Tyolaha, Tse-Ubiam, Ahume, and Aondona—with 42 killed in a single weekend. Still, not a single high-level visit to the grief-stricken zones.
  
• Days later, in Gwer West, another 23 people were killed in cold blood. The presidency offered silence as the only response.
  
• Then came the horrific Yelewata massacre in June 2025: over 100 people, primarily women and children, reportedly killed, some burned alive. Amnesty International confirmed it, but did Tinubu speak? Did he act?
  

This is not just about numbers, though the numbers are damning. It’s about a pattern of federal neglect and a presidency that has chosen optics over action. 

When terrorists strike in other parts of the country, we often see swift condemnations and presidential visits. But when Benue bleeds, no one from the presidency shows up.

Is this another case of the Presidency of excuses?

For a president who once declared “security will be my top priority,” Tinubu has maintained an eerie calm as Benue transforms into a graveyard. His administration blames everything from climate change to “unknown gunmen.” But where is the urgency? Where is the political will?

Governor Hyacinth Alia is helpless. Local security structures are overwhelmed. Federal troops are either absent or arrive late, often only to count bodies. The communities know the killers. They name them. They report them. Yet, no arrests. No justice.

So we ask: Is Benue not part of Nigeria? Are its people not worth protecting?

This is more than a security crisis—It’s a leadership crisis

The killings in Benue expose a fundamental truth: Nigeria’s leaders are not afraid of failure because they have never been held accountable. If 500 people had been massacred in Lagos, Abuja, or even Borno, would the response still be this cold, this distant?

The people of Benue are not asking for pity, they’re demanding justice. They’re demanding protection. They’re demanding a president who doesn’t just campaign with big promises, but governs with empathy, urgency, and courage.