Benue killings: NNPP faults Tinubu’s response, describes it as “lukewarm”

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s handling of the recent mass killings in Benue State, describing the president’s response as “lukewarm,” “insensitive,” and devoid of “basic human empathy.”

A statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, condemned the killings of almost 200 residents of Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area by terrorists. 

“This is a horrifying act of mass murder. Over 200 innocent Nigerians were slaughtered and property destroyed without provocation. What’s worse, it took the Federal Government days to meaningfully intervene”, said NNPP.

The party questioned the seriousness of Tinubu’s administration in addressing what it called the ongoing “bloodletting” in Benue State, warning that the region is steadily degenerating into a killing field due to persistent government inaction.

While acknowledging the importance of dialogue, the NNPP dismissed such meetings as cosmetic if they do not lead to concrete results, urging the federal authorities to stop paying lip service to security and instead deploy intelligence and law enforcement resources to identify, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for the killings. 

“This notion is preposterous,” Johnson declared. “What is happening in Benue is not a simple land dispute or communal clash—it is organised terrorism, and in some instances, borders on genocide. How do you ask grieving communities to sit down and negotiate with killers? Until the government recognises these atrocities for what they truly are—acts of terrorism—the carnage will continue unchecked.”

The NNPP also denounced what it claimed was a leaked directive from a presidential aide to Benue State officials, urging support groups to stage a “colourful procession” to welcome President Tinubu to Makurdi—even as families mourned the fresh tragedy.

“such fanfare amid tragedy shows a stunning lack of empathy,” Johnson said. “How could anyone think it appropriate to stage a spectacle while hundreds of citizens lie dead and communities are grieving? This moment calls for courage and political will. Tinubu must find it within himself to call a spade a spade—not a big spoon”, said NNPP.

The party offered condolences to the people of Benue and urging the Tinubu administration to rise above rhetorical platitudes and act decisively.