The statement said that on the President’s directive, intelligence chiefs, the police, and the military had arrived in the state to direct security operations and restore sanity.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has issued a fresh directive to security chiefs, mandating the immediate implementation of his earlier order aimed at restoring peace and security in Benue State following a wave of brutal attacks that have left scores dead.

The presidency, in a statement released by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said, “President Bola Tinubu has directed security chiefs to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to Benue State.”

The renewed directive comes on the heels of a horrifying overnight assault on Yelewata community on June 14, where over 100 residents were reportedly killed by armed gunmen. The massacre has triggered national outrage, with human rights groups decrying the continuous bloodshed in the state.

The statement said that on the President’s directive, intelligence chiefs, the police, and the military had arrived in the state to direct security operations and restore sanity.

It noted that President Tinubu has also charged the governor of Benue State with “convening reconciliation meetings and dialogue among the warring parties to end the incessant bloodshed and bring lasting peace and harmonious coexistence between farmers, herders, and communities”.

“President Tinubu renewed his order in the wake of the latest round of reprisal attacks that led to the death of many people,” the statement said.

“On the president's directive, intelligence chiefs, the police and the military have arrived in the state to direct security operations and restore sanity.”

Condemning the killings as “inhuman and anti-progress,” the president stressed that the violence must not be allowed to continue, while urging swift and impartial action by security agencies.

He said, “The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated. Enough is now enough.

“I have directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them.”

He further called on local political and community leaders to demonstrate restraint and avoid rhetoric capable of escalating the crisis.

“Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings,” he said.

In a pointed charge to Governor Hyacinth Alia, President Tinubu emphasised the need for leadership through dialogue and unity.

“This is the time for Governor Alia to act as a statesman and immediately lead the process of dialogue and reconciliation that will bring peace to Benue. Our people must live in peace, and it is possible when leaders across the divides work together in harmony and differences are identified and addressed with fairness, openness and justice,” he said.

He also urged all sides in the conflict to “rein in those who go out to cause provocations and ignite reprisal attacks.”

Amnesty International, in a statement released earlier, said: “The horrifying killing of over 100 people by gunmen that invaded Yelewata from late Friday into the early hours of Saturday shows the security measures government claims to be implementing in the state are not working.”

The human rights watchdog decried the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region, warning that “the Nigerian authorities must immediately end the almost daily bloodshed in Benue State and bring the actual perpetrators to justice.”

SaharaReporters also reported that three security operatives lost their lives in the Yelewata assault, while 16 others were wounded. The incident is part of a grim pattern: just days earlier, on June 10, three youths were ambushed and killed in Edikwu-G’Icho, Apa LGA, and another man, Sunday Dutse, was murdered along the Odugbeho-Ogbaulu road in Agatu LGA.

Governor Alia, speaking in a previous interview with Channels Television, said: “We are under siege,” adding that the wave of violence was “directed, planned, and executed,” not merely spontaneous communal clashes.

“We are receiving intel, and 60 to 65 percent of it has proven accurate,” Alia said, warning that the state was facing organised acts of terrorism.

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