The Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, has told President Bola Tinubu that the ongoing killings in Benue State are not communal or herder-farmer clashes but a calculated campaign of genocide and land-grabbing.
He made this known on Wednesday, June 18, during a meeting with Tinubu and other stakeholders in Makurdi, as part of the president’s visit to address the recent massacre in the Yelewata community.
“We do have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State,” he told the President.
“Your Excellency, it’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.”
He insisted that what has been happening in Benue for years is a deliberate and violent plot to displace the people and take their land.
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Ayatse described the attacks as “a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign” orchestrated by herder terrorists and armed bandits.
“Wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment… We are dealing with something far more sinister than we think. It’s not about learning to live with your neighbours; it is dealing with a war,” the traditional ruler said.
His remarks came as Tinubu visited victims of the latest massacre in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, where about 200 people were killed.
The President also met with governors, security chiefs, and community leaders as part of efforts to find lasting solutions to the state’s worsening insecurity.
Tor Tiv’s warning adds to growing calls for the federal government to rethink its approach and recognise the crisis as an organised campaign rather than isolated communal violence.