Breaking: Tinubu Lands in Benue Following Massacres of Over 200

President Bola Tinubu has landed in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, as he planned to visit the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area of the state.

The president arrived at the Makurdi Airport, which was located at the tactical air command of the Nigerian Air Force base in the state capital, at about 12:58.

Channels Television reported that Governor Father Hyacinth Alia of the state had earlier declared a public holiday ahead of the president's visit. This was to allow the residents of the state to participate in and witness Tinubu's intervention in the state.

During his visit to the state, the president is expected to visit the troubled Yelwata community, which was recently hard-hit and engage the stakeholders in closed-door talks. The stakeholders included traditional rulers, local government officials and security chiefs.

According to sources with the Benue state government, discussions at the town hall meeting would focus on how to find a lasting solution to the issues of insecurity in the troubled state.

This would be the first physical engagement of President Tinubu in the north-central state following the escalation of violence in many. Many have opined that the visit was a critical test of the readiness of the administration to tackle insecurity, especially in states affected by banditry, herders and communal clashes.

President Tinubu has previously condemned the ongoing violence in Benue state and called on all leaders and residents to embrace peace, love, and mutual understanding. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to all those who have suffered losses as a result of the crisis.

According to his itinerary released over the weekend, President Tinubu was scheduled to visit Kaduna state on Wednesday, June 18, to commission various state government projects. However, the official visit will now occur on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

Clashes between nomadic herders and settled farmers are common in the north-central region. They are partly fuelled by competition over land. Farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence.

Source: Legit.ng