By Atoyebi Nike
Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has arrived in Benue State and ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams following a series of brutal attacks that have left scores of people dead.
The Nigeria Police Force confirmed the development on Monday in a terse post on its official X account: “IGP arrives Benue, orders for additional deployment of tactical teams.”
The move follows a wave of violence believed to have been carried out by suspected herders in Guma Local Government Area, with local authorities confirming at least 45 deaths. However, community leaders and eyewitnesses suggest the actual death toll could be far higher, possibly over 200 with reports of entire families burned alive and security operatives among the victims.
The attacks have triggered widespread public anger and renewed calls for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Benue. Many Nigerians on social media have expressed outrage at what they perceive as the government’s muted response to the killings especially when compared to its swift action in Rivers State earlier this year, where a state of emergency was declared over political tensions despite no reported fatalities.
Security experts and civil society groups are calling for urgent national attention to the crisis in Benue, which has long been a hotspot of deadly clashes between herders and farming communities. The renewed violence is fueling demands for stronger federal intervention and long-term solutions to the region’s persistent insecurity.
