PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has said that he will clear his schedule to pay a condolence visit to the people of Benue State on Wednesday, following last Saturday’s attack in the Yelewata community that left scores of residents dead.
“I will adjust my programme and go see Benue people on Wednesday,” Tinubu said on Monday when he inaugurated the Greater Abuja Water Supply Network in the nation’s capital.
The President also sympathised with the people of the state and those who lost their loved ones in the attacks.
He urged the people of the state to manage their diversity, anger, and frustration and live as one united people.
During his stay, Tinubu is expected to meet with all stakeholders — including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups — to seek lasting solutions to the hostilities.
“In preparation for the visit, President Tinubu has already dispatched the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees to Benue State.
“The President is expected to hold a town hall meeting with all stakeholders during the visit,” a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed on Monday.
Opposition arrowheads Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi had criticised the President for not visiting the people of the troubled North-Central State despite the killing of scores of residents by vicious marauders.
Benue State has been under heavy attacks by gunmen for some time. The killings have lingered for years, with some linking it to inter-communal conflicts as well as the quest for land dominance between the autochthonous agrarian dwellers and nomadic cattle rearers.
However, the killings in the last few weeks have been without a break. At least over 160 residents were confirmed killed in a series of attacks by gunmen who wreaked havoc in different communities in the food-producing state.
Pope Leo XIV has since condemned the recent “terrible massacre” in Benue, describing it as “extreme cruelty”.
The killings have also attracted widespread protests and national outrage as many Nigerians are utterly displeased with the way the Federal Government has been handling the situation.
