Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun arrived in Benue State on Monday to oversee efforts to contain escalating violence and restore security, following a deadly wave of attacks by suspected herders that have left more than 160 people dead across multiple communities.
Dressed in full uniform, Egbetokun touched down in Makurdi, immediately deploying tactical police units into troubled areas. A statement from the Nigeria Police Force confirmed the intensification of security operations.
“IGP arrives Benue, orders for additional deployment of tactical teams,” the police message read.
In the past few weeks, Benue State has experienced a surge in bloodshed:
Over 160 residents killed in coordinated night raids across various communities.
Friday’s attack resulted in scores of casualties and forced mass displacement.
Public alarm escalated after dozens were burned alive in Guma Local Government Area, prompting neighborhood protests
Governor Hyacinth Alia, speaking earlier, warned that communities once under siege had shrunk from 17 LGAs to just three, a shift he credited to federal security support.
Following presidential instruction, security agencies are implementing intensified response strategies to suppress further violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said: “The latest news of wanton killings in Benue State is very depressing. We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated… I have directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators … prosecute them.”
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President Bola Tinubu has also urged Governor Alia to spearhead reconciliation meetings among farmers, herders, and community leaders, an effort aimed at addressing the long-standing resource- and land-based tensions.
With public outcry mounting, including calls on social media for a state of emergency, the IGP’s deployment of tactical units offers a visible shift in law enforcement posture.
Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari confirmed: “The IG has taken over the security of Benue State. Special forces are on ground, and more are coming. … They will go no matter where the bandits are and get them.”
These forces, he assured, would aggressively pursue those responsible, even amid community protests that included blocking major roads with expressive resistance to ongoing killings.
Benue’s violence mirrors a broader rural security crisis across North-Central Nigeria, where competition for land and water pits nomadic herders against agrarian communities. Compounding this, militant groups have exploited these local conflicts, fueling arms proliferation and deepening insecurity.
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