There is widespread outrage over the scale of killings in an agrarian border community in Benue State, where scores of residents lost their lives in a brutal and coordinated assault that lasted from Friday night into Saturday morning.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who visited the scene, described the aftermath as devastating — with dozens of homes burned and properties destroyed, leaving a grim reminder of the horror that unfolded. During a closed-door meeting with community leaders, he offered condolences and assured them of immediate military reinforcement to stabilize Yata and other flashpoints across the state.
“We are tired of innocent souls being killed. We’re here to ensure that we address this from now. I will be meeting with my commanders, and we have to change our strategy. We will look inward to see how we can address it. But as I mentioned, we cannot do it alone. We need the cooperation of the community, the state, and everyone to end this,” General Musa stated.
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who was also on ground, revealed that tactical police units in the area have been doubled to strengthen law enforcement and improve intelligence gathering. “When one incident happens, hundreds more have been prevented — incidents that the public never gets to know about. The fact that this happened does not mean we have not been deploying. We have been working closely with the military and other security agencies to end the reign of impunity by these criminal elements. We urge residents to report strangers or suspicious activities promptly,” he said.
Benue State Governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, condemned the killings in strong terms. He expressed confidence that the visit by top security chiefs would mark a turning point in ending the cycle of violence. “The President is deeply concerned. The presence of these top security officers here today is reassuring to our people. We remain hopeful that such devastating occurrences will no longer happen — not just in this local government but across the entire state,” the governor stated.
General Musa also proceeded to the 401 Special Forces Brigade headquarters in Makurdi, where he held strategic sessions with commanders and addressed troops at the 72 Special Forces Battalion. Both the military and the police high command have reiterated their determination to prevent such atrocities in the future.
