Benue Killings: Don Advocates Community-driven Conflict Prevention Tactics

The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has been charged to take decisive and sustained action as well as adopt community-driven conflict prevention strategies to tackle killings Benue State and across the country.

The charge followed recent gruesome killings of about 200 individuals in Yelewa, Guma local government area of Benue State,
Executive Director, Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN) Dr. Timipere Allison made the call on Thursday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital while also condemning the killings in Yelewa community.

“The management and members of Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN) are deeply shocked by the gruesome killing of at least 150 civilians in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

“This senseless attack, one of many in the escalating wave of violence that has ravaged North-Central Nigeria, reveals a catastrophic failure by the government to safeguard its citizens.

“We unequivocally condemn this heinous act. Such atrocities not only target innocent individuals but threaten the collective security and future of the Nigerian state.

“The brutal killing of children, women, and the elderly, along with the destruction of homes, food supplies, and communal infrastructure, constitutes a gross violation of fundamental human rights and a breach of international humanitarian norms”, he added.

Allison further tasked President Tinubu to ensure that trauma support and assistance were provided to survivors and the families of the victims.

He noted that “the ability of non-state actors to terrorise communities with impunity exposes deepening weaknesses in the state’s security apparatus”, adding that “this climate of lawlessness emboldens perpetrators, who continue to destroy lives and undermine national stability.”

The CORN Executive Director further enjoined Tinubu to ensure protection for vulnerable communities across Benue and beyond.

While calling for the conduct a prompt, transparent investigation and bring perpetrators of the bloodletting to justice, Allison tasked the president to allocate adequate resources to strengthen the Nigeria Police, the armed forces, and State Security Services for effective response and the protection of human life.

He also commended all state and non-state actors working to bring peace and stability to the North-Central region of Nigeria.

Providing insights into the data at the disposal of the network, Allison said absence of law enforcement in the affected communities enabled non-state armed groups to carry out heinous crimes against citizens living in the rural areas of the Middle-Belt.

“This calls for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture. This new structure must include a level of security that is embedded in communities.

“This security structure must also be integrated into the justice system to ensure that not only law and order is maintained, but the rule of law is applied when crimes are committed in rural communities,” he said.

Allison assured that CORN will continue to work alongside civil society organisations, community leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to promote peace, justice, reconciliation, and the protection of human dignity across Nigeria.