It is no longer news that Benue state along with some other north central states are under siege with the ongoing massacre which has claimed over 200 lives in very recent attacks.
The killings originally started with a series of attacks on communities in Otukpo area of Benue state linked to suspected herdsmen attacks.
According to reports, the Benue state governor, Hyacinth Alia had previously stated that the state was under siege and had called on the government to come to the rescue of the state. During Mass at the Chapel of Grace, Government House, Makurdi, on Sunday, April 20, 2025, Governor Alia emphasized that everyone has a responsibility to ensure security and called on all citizens to actively assist in efforts to combat the ongoing threats.
He said, “We are under siege as a state. We are under attack. And those who are attacking us must have a face, must have an aim, and must have a drive. They come, they drag people out, they kill to occupy. This is extremely unacceptable,”
Following a series of these attacks on communities in Benue, Jos, Zamfara, Borno , Edo among others public uproar was raised including Verydarkman’s visit to the impacted community. In a social media video, Martins Vincent Otse popularly known as VDM paid a visit to Yelwata community where he spoke to some of the residents who witnessed the horrific incident.
In light of VDMs visit, President Tinubu visited Benue state after much backlash and statements from the general public to share his condolences and discuss potential ways forward.
Tinubu visited Benue state on Wednesday June 18 and was scheduled to have a meeting with the state’s stakeholders however his visit has been heavily critiqued by many including public figures like Peter Obi. The president had visited the state but failed to extend his visit to Yelwata community.
According to Tinubu, he did not visit the community because of bad roads. This statement comes as an indictment to the Tinubu led administration as findings gathered by our correspondents revealed that the road leading to Yelwata is a federal road which should have been fixed by the federal government but was left in ruins, showing much the community had been neglected.
In addition, the Benue state governor had also come under fire for keeping school children in heavy rainfall for hours just to welcome the president.
The much anticipated visit by President Tinubu was expected to put a final end to the long standing herdsmen attacks going on in the state however, in a shocking twist of events some suspected accomplices have revealed that this is just the beginning.
In a new video clip now widely spread across social media, the said man issued a live warning to VDM asking him to desist from saying rubbish simply because his people were killed. He added that VDM should warn his people because this was only the beginning.
He said “VDM, as bandits strike your people, you go there and be say rubbish. Warn your people, Verydarkman, warn your people, they never see anything. This is just the beginning”
This development has raised even more controversy as to why one would boldly make such assertions barely 24 hours after the president’s visit without any action from security operatives.
Similarly, previous videos of herdsmen in possession of hue sums of monies, issuing threats to the public as well as revealing sensitive information that could be used to track down these insurgents but have mostly been met with inaction from security operatives.
More speculation about the government’s involvement has been raised, tons of questions left unanswered. Is the government intimidated by this group of people, does it lack the capacity to tackle this group of people and serve justice for the countless lives lost or does the government know what to do but have simply refused to do it perhaps because they have stakes in the insurgency going on across different regions of the nation.
Is the Nigerian government along with its political cohorts and stakeholders the real masterminds of herdsmen attacks and insurgency across Nigeria?
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes
