The Tor Tiv V, His Royal Majesty Prof. James Ayatse, on Wednesday, strongly rejected the narrative that the recent Yelwata massacre was a clash between herders and farmers, warning that such framing dangerously misrepresents the crisis in Benue State.
Speaking during his address when President Bola Tinubu met with Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and top security chiefs in Benue on Wednesday, Ayatse described the incident as part of a decades-long campaign of targeted violence against the people of Benue.
“The narrative of herders-farmers clashes is a calculated agenda to keep our people ‘tolerant’ of the attacks,” he stated, stressing that the reality on the ground is far more grave.
Ayatse insisted that the persistent characterisation of the crisis as mere communal conflict is not only misleading but also enables the continued suffering of the Benue people.
He described the killings as part of “a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits.”
The monarch, displeased by what he described as official downplay of Benue’s security situation, said this misrepresentation has led to weak and inappropriate responses from government and stakeholders.
He argued that calls for dialogue and tolerance, in the face of such systematic violence, amount to ignoring the true nature of the threat.
“We do have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State.
“Your Excellency, it’s not headers-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.
“It is this misinformation that has led to suggestions such as ‘remain tolerant, negotiate for peace, learn to live with your neighbours.’”
Ayatse cautioned that describing the conflict in those terms implies that the Benue people are not victims of an ongoing war.
“What we are dealing with here in Benue is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by header terrorists and bandits, which has been going on for decades and is worsening every year.
“Wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment. So, we are dealing with something far more sinister than we think about.
“It’s not learning to live with your neighbours; it is dealing with the war,” the Tor Tiv declared.
The recent Yelwata massacre, in which over 200 people were reportedly killed, is the second major attack by suspected herders in Benue State within the last two months.
Governor Alia previously confirmed that armed herders without cattle were responsible for the attack on the Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area.
In response to the killings, President Tinubu instructed Governor Alia to take the lead in a reconciliation and dialogue process aimed at restoring peace to the state.
The President also ordered the deployment of security chiefs to Benue for immediate intervention.
