544 killed in Benue in 2025 alone as CSOs raise alarm against govt inaction

By Ukpono Ukpong

A coalition of civil society organizations under the banner of Nigeria Mourns has raised the alarm over what it described as “unchecked killings” in Benue State, where at least 544 people have been violently killed so far in 2025, with the most recent massacre claiming over 200 lives in just two days.

The groups, led by the Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities, described the June 13–14 attacks on Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area as “brutal massacres” perpetrated by suspected herders.

“This horrifying event is part of a continuing and deadly trend in Benue State and the wider North Central region. So far in 2025, more than 544 people have been violently killed in attacks targeting agrarian communities in Benue State. These figures reflect only the double-verified documented killings and grossly underestimates the full scale of loss and suffering.

“Several communities have been razed, their livelihoods destroyed, and survivors driven into overcrowded and insecure displacement camps. Many of these communities have been deserted and overtaken by their attackers.

“These incidents are not isolated acts of violence; they are part of a systematic campaign of unchecked killings, forced displacement, and land grabs, which have been enabled by the acquiescence of the state through decades of inaction and impunity.” the statement noted.

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In their strongly worded communique titled ‘End the Carnage in Benue: Enforce the Law, Protect the People,’ the groups accused the Federal Government of failing in its constitutional duty to protect citizens, citing Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government.”

The coalition also condemned what it called the “heinous and disproportionate” response of law enforcement agents to peaceful protests that followed the killings.

“Rather than express empathy or take decisive steps, the government… met grieving citizens with tear gas and rubber bullets,” the statement said.

The groups insisted that protests must not be treated as acts of terrorism.

“Let’s be clear: protests are not terrorism. They are a lawful, legitimate vehicle for demanding justice in any democracy. Dissent is an integral part of participatory governance and is prescribed and protected by the constitution,” they said.

Raising concern about the worsening humanitarian situation, the coalition warned that IDP camps remain under threat even as food insecurity and poverty deepen.

“The people of Benue have been abandoned to their fate, and it is unconstitutional and unacceptable,” they added.

They issued a six-point demand, beginning with the immediate deployment of humanitarian relief, including food, medical supplies, and shelter to affected communities.

They also called for extraordinary security measures to protect internally displaced persons and enforce the Benue State Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law.

Other demands included the integration of religious and traditional leaders into community-based early warning systems, disarmament of rural militias, and the establishment of a federal judicial inquiry to investigate recurring attacks and prosecute perpetrators and their sponsors.

“The Nigerian state cannot continue to allow communities to be erased and their citizens massacred without consequence. Nigerian lives matter.

“A government that fails to protect its people is complicit in their suffering.”

The coalition called on President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and security agencies to demonstrate the political will and moral courage to end the atrocities in Benue.

“We mourn with the families and communities devastated by this senseless loss. But mourning is not enough. We demand justice. And we demand it now.”

Among the signatories were the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Global Rights, Human Rights Network, and more than 20 others who pledged to “continue to amplify the voices of the vulnerable and demand justice on their behalf.”