President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has postponed his scheduled visit to Kaduna, choosing instead to travel directly to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, in response to a string of brutal attacks by suspected terrorists and armed herders .
Alarmed by recent massacres—most notably the slaying of at least 147 people in a weekend rampage—Tinubu will convene a crucial town-hall meeting in Makurdi, inviting traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and civil society to seek community-driven solutions to the violence .
Ahead of his visit, he dispatched a security advance party led by SGF George Akume, NSA Nuhu Ribadu, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, and intelligence heads to prepare the ground . Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, quoted the president offering heartfelt condolences and urging unity: “we are one family… living together in harmony will be the result of our diversity” .
Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed the toll—127 bodies buried, eight more awaiting burial, and two held at the mortuary—emphasizing that the attackers appear to be foreign terrorists, heavily armed and without cattle, not typical herdsmen.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Arewa Consultative Forum have strongly condemned the attacks, calling on security agencies to intensify efforts.
Onanuga added that Tinubu has ordered a decisive clampdown: security forces are to arrest and prosecute perpetrators swiftly, while the IGP is deploying reinforcements to collaborate with special forces in Benue.
Looking ahead, Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, supported the mission, pledging that the recent Yelwata massacre will be the last, and assuring that insiders aiding the attackers are being purged from security ranks.
