The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has issued a scathing condemnation of the ongoing violence in Benue State, describing the killings as acts of “genocide” resulting from political negligence, state failure, and inaction by authorities.
In a statement released on Wednesday by NEF spokesperson Professor Abubakar Jika Jiddere, the group expressed deep concern over what it called an escalating humanitarian crisis in a region once known for its agricultural productivity and stability.
He said: “The situation has degenerated into unrestrained bloodshed and lawlessness, turning communities into killing fields and exposing the utter collapse of governance, accountability, and security. Benue State, one of Nigeria’s critical agricultural hubs, plays a vital role in national food production, youth and women employment, and economic stability. Today, this once-thriving state is under siege.
“The lives of its innocent citizens are being violently cut short, and its socio-economic structure is being systematically destroyed, while the government stands by in silence, helplessness, or worse, complicity.”
NEF described the recent wave of attacks as “massacres,” citing examples such as the deaths of over 150 people in Yelwata, and another 200 in Guma and Logo local government areas. Thousands, it noted, have been forced into overcrowded displacement camps lacking basic amenities, while medical systems teeter on the verge of collapse.
“The NEF is outraged by the continued massacres. In just recent days, over 150 people were slaughtered in the Yelwata community. In Guma and Logo local government areas, another 200 lives were wiped out. Thousands have been displaced into squalid, unsafe IDP camps with no access to healthcare, clean water, or basic necessities. Medical services are overstretched and collapsing. Women, children, and the elderly are dying in silence while the government looks away.”
Rejecting the characterization of the conflict as ethnic in nature, the Forum insisted that political factors and government negligence are at the root of the unrest.
“Let it be clearly stated: this is not an ethnic conflict, as it is deceptively portrayed. It is an internal political crisis, one that has been allowed to fester due to criminal negligence, partisan interests, and a complete failure of leadership.
“The deliberate attempt to reframe this politically driven violence as an ethnic or communal issue is dishonest, irresponsible, and dangerous. It deflects from the truth and emboldens those behind these atrocities.”
The group accused the government of betraying its constitutional duty to safeguard lives and property.
“The government’s refusal to act, speak, or even acknowledge the scale of the crisis is a betrayal of its core constitutional responsibility. It has failed in its primary duty to protect the lives and property of its citizens. What we are witnessing is not just failure but deliberate inaction, a culture of impunity, and an alarming collapse of national integrity.”
NEF warned that any misrepresentation of the nature of the crisis only serves to embolden perpetrators and increase instability. It also put forward a list of urgent demands, calling for immediate intervention and reform.
The forum demanded: “Immediate and total deployment of elite, properly equipped security forces to Benue State to end the killings and restore peace and order. Enough of the half-measures and empty rhetoric.
“A full-scale, independent investigation into the political and economic interests fueling the violence and the systemic cover-ups being perpetuated by criminal actors should be undertaken. Swift arrest and public prosecution of all perpetrators, including any officials found complicit by action or omission. No one must be above the law.
“Comprehensive compensation and rehabilitation for victims, bereaved families, and displaced communities should be adequately provided.
“A national security overhaul that confronts the truth, embraces transparency, and includes all regional stakeholders in the search for sustainable peace.”
The NEF reaffirmed its solidarity with affected communities in Benue and other parts of Northern Nigeria, warning that continued government indifference would only deepen the crisis.
“These killings were preventable. The destruction we are seeing today is the direct consequence of government indifference, incompetence, and dereliction of its core responsibilities. Enough is enough.
“If the government continues on this path of silence and denial, it will have declared itself an enemy of justice, unity, and the people it was elected to serve,” he added.
