A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has condemned both the Federal Government and the Benue State government for their persistent failure to prosecute individuals arrested in connection with the spate of violent attacks in the state.
In a strongly worded statement released Sunday under the banner of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), which he chairs, Falana said the lack of follow-through after high-profile arrests has deepened impunity and eroded public confidence in the rule of law.
His remarks come days after President Bola Tinubu visited Benue and ordered the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute perpetrators of the latest killings in the state.
Falana, however, described the president’s directive as “potentially symbolic,” pointing to a troubling pattern in which suspects are arrested and paraded before the media but never brought to justice.
“Over the years, hundreds of suspects have been arrested for heinous crimes, ranging from illegal arms possession to mass murder and kidnapping, yet few, if any, have faced trial, let alone conviction,” he said.
He also criticised the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, who recently alleged that residents of Yelwata community had harboured the attackers.
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Falana said such a narrative shifts the blame onto victims and distracts from the real issue: systemic security and governance failures.
To illustrate the scope of unaddressed crimes, Falana provided a detailed chronology of arrests:
December 30, 2024: The state police commissioner announced the arrest of 273 suspects linked to capital crimes, along with the recovery of 20 firearms and 51 rounds of ammunition.
January 17, 2024: Police uncovered an illegal arms factory. Two men, Friday Aduduakambe and Iorwashima Iornyume, were arrested with a cache of homemade weapons.
April 17, 2025: Governor Hyacinth Alia revealed that three herdsmen were arrested following the killing of 11 persons in Otobi community, Otukpo LGA.
June 19, 2025: Local volunteer guards apprehended three suspected kidnappers with ransom money at the Otukpo motor park.
Falana added that in just the first half of 2025, dozens of violent crime suspects, including 43 individuals in the past ten days alone, have been taken into custody. Yet, he said, these developments have not translated into meaningful legal action.
“The authorities have continued to treat suspected killers in Benue State like sacred cows,” Falana said.
“The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Benue State, Mr. Fidelis Mnyim, must act now to ensure justice is not only done but seen to be done.”
Quoting Section 33 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to life, Falana stressed that this right becomes hollow when the state fails to punish those who violate it.
He warned that unless prosecution and accountability follow swiftly, the cycle of violence will continue and so too will the erosion of public faith in justice.
“The bloodshed will worsen. And so will the silence of the state. This is not just a legal failure, it is a moral one.”
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