By Godwin Akomah, Umuahia
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has blamed the renewed kìllíngs in Benue State on leadership failure.
Obi’s blame game comes barely 24 hours after suspected armed herdsmen reportedly launched a déadly attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, with 200 people feared kílled in process.
The saddening development also compelled angry Benue youths to empty themselves into the streets and roads on Sunday in protest over the routine attacks and kìllíngs of their people by armed herders.
The protesting youths blocked the Abuja-Makurdi highway, expressing outrage over the persistent bloodlettings in the state.
The Benue State Governor, Alia, had earlier issued a warning against unlawful gatherings and confrontations, particularly by youths, in the wake of growing tensions across the troubled communities, but the unyielding youths who felt abandoned stormed the road, demanding concrete security measures and justice for the victims of the attacks.
Emerging details showed that suspected killer herdsmen carried out early Saturday attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attackers in the predawn raid were said to have trapped and burnt alive the victims in their sleep.
While the wicked and deadly attack lasted, scores of residents were kílled and property, especially tonnes of rice harvest were destroyed in a coordinated assault by the marauders.
They invaded the town, splitting themselves into three groups to penetrate Yelewata from multiple directions.
They reportedly began the assault on the town through Tse Ate, a track leading to Agugu Igbaakombo, and another path behind the community’s market square.
Grieving residents said the marauders fired sporadically in turns to confuse and divide local vigilante efforts.
Attempts by youths and police personnel to ward off the enemies proved ineffectual as they were overwhelmed by the large numbers and tactical approach of the kíller herdsmen.
Media and Publicity Officer for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) unit in Benue State, Comrade Joseph Apahar Joo, revealed in a statement that the third group of attackers, who entered through the rear, targeted shops where many residents were sleeping.
“Those who tried to escape were chased and kílled. Others couldn’t come out because the attackers had already sprayed fuel on the doors before setting the buildings ablaze,” the statement said.
The criminal herders razed shops and homes in the attack, burning victims alive alongside farm produce and stored food items.
However, reacting to the situation on Sunday, the former governor of Anambra State, who described the tragedy as “a stain on our collective conscience,” said that the primary duty of any government at all levels is the protection of lives and property, warning against the increasing normalisation of màss kìllíngs across the country.
In a statement posted on his verified X handle Sunday, Obi decried the kìllíngs—reportedly carried out by suspected armed herdsmen—as a national emergency.
“My heart is heavy as I learn of yet another horrific series of kìllíngs in Benue—women, children, soldiers, displaced persons—all senselessly slain,” Obi said. “This is not merely violence; it is a failure of leadership.”
“To the people of Benue, your pain is our pain. The blood of your loved ones cries out for justice,” he said. “A secure Benue is not too much to ask—it is our moral and national duty.”
Obi urged relevant authorities to go beyond symbolic gestures, rhetorics and take urgent, decisive action to end the circus of violence, restore security, and uphold the value of every Nigerian life.
Also, former vice president and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the attack and kìllíng of defenseless people in Yelwata, Benue State, and called on Nigerians to hold their leaders accountable.
Atiku, in a statement posted earlier on his X account, said the kìllíngs underscored the escalating insecurity crisis plaguing the country.
“I am deeply anguished and shocked by the devastating news of the fresh attacks in Benue State, where over 100 innocent lives are feared lost. These kìllíngs, once again targeting defenceless communities, underscore the escalating insecurity crisis facing our nation,” he stated on Saturday night.
