A Government’s Betrayal: Benue Massacre and the Failure of Leadership

 

Nigeria, June 18, 2025

First, my deepest condolences go to the families and people of Benue State over the brutal killings in Yelewata community. While Nigerians awaited a swift response to this tragedy, President Tinubu and his cabinet were preoccupied with ceremonial functions. This indifference forces Nigerians to question whether their leader truly empathizes with their suffering or prioritizes optics over action.  

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The President’s tepid remarks at the commissioning of the Greater Abuja Water Supply Network—where he addressed the Benue killings as a footnote—were met with outrage. His detachment underscores a grim reality: Nigeria’s democracy is in decline, and its leaders have abandoned their constitutional duty to protect lives.  

Section 33 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution guarantees the right to life, while Section 14(2)(b) mandates that the "security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government." Yet, how does this align with the relentless massacres in Benue, Plateau, and beyond? How does it explain the government’s paralysis as gunmen ravage communities with impunity?  

The police, tasked with maintaining law and order, either turn a blind eye or are too underfunded—or too afraid—to confront these killers. Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police remains in office despite systemic failure, and governors like Benue’s Hyacinth Alia—a former priest—now prioritize political survival over justice. His administration’s contradictory death tolls, suppression of protests, and dismissal of aides who dare to speak out reveal a leadership morally bankrupt and detached from the people.  

In Nigeria’s perverse political calculus, insecurity has become a campaign tool. Politicians traverse the country promising safety, only to abandon those vows once elected. Their oath of office is discarded until the next election cycle. The truth is stark: Nigeria’s ruling class profits from chaos. They invest in elections not to serve, but to recoup losses—while citizens pay with their blood.  

The police, globally instituted to protect lives, now function as private guards for the elite. After the Yelewata massacre, Benue’s police chief held "strategy meetings" while bodies piled up. Where is the accountability? In a functional society, resignations would follow such dereliction—but not in Nigeria, where impunity reigns.  

Today, President Tinubu visits Benue in a belated gesture of sympathy. But what unfolds? A sycophantic public holiday, with citizens ordered to sweep streets in welcome. Where was this urgency when bullets rained on Yelewata? The Secretary to the Government of the Federation hails from Benue, yet the killings persist. The irony is cruel.  

If Nigerians continue to watch passively, trading blame along tribal and religious lines, this crisis will consume us all. The time for fence-sitting is over. Citizens must unite beyond partisan loyalties to demand accountability. The political class thrives on division; our strength lies in collective resistance.  

Enough is enough. The right to life is non-negotiable. Nigeria’s leaders must be held to their oath, or be forced out.  

Hicia News