Benue killings not Farmer-Herder clashes, but genocidal invasion — Tor Tiv tells Tinubu

The Tor Tiv V, His Royal Majesty James Ayatse, has refuted the widespread claim that the ongoing killings in Benue State are clashes between farmers and herders, describing it as misinformation that has misrepresented the true nature of the crisis.

Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, the traditional ruler insisted that what the people of Benue have been subjected to for decades is a calculated and organized genocidal invasion, disguised by misleading narratives.

He said this long-running bloodshed is not communal violence, reprisal attacks, or minor disputes but a full-scale, premeditated land-grabbing campaign by what he described as “herder terrorists and bandits.”

“We have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State. It’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes,” Ayatse declared.

According to the monarch, this distortion of the facts has fueled misplaced advice suggesting that Benue people should remain tolerant and negotiate with their attackers. He cautioned that such wrong diagnoses will only continue to produce wrong solutions.

“What we are dealing with here in Benue is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign which has been going on for decades and worsening every year. It’s not about learning to live with your neighbours; it’s about dealing with a war,” he said firmly.

This statement comes amid growing national outrage over the recent spate of killings in the state, with about 200 people reportedly murdered last weekend in coordinated attacks on rural communities.

President Tinubu had earlier directed security chiefs to fully implement his previous orders to stabilize the state and called on the Benue governor to convene peace and reconciliation meetings among stakeholders.