Benue killings: President Tinubu’s visit: An opportunity at the crossroads of justice and peace

On June 18, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a high-profile visit to Benue State following the Yelwata killings, where over 100 villagers were killed in yet another eruption of violence in Nigeria’s North Central region. With emotions raw and tensions high, Tinubu’s address at a stakeholders meeting delivered a blend of symbolic empathy, political […]

On June 18, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a high-profile visit to Benue State following the Yelwata killings, where over 100 villagers were killed in yet another eruption of violence in Nigeria’s North Central region. With emotions raw and tensions high, Tinubu’s address at a stakeholders meeting delivered a blend of symbolic empathy, political muscle, and policy proposals. He issued rare public instructions to Nigeria’s top security officials, advised the state government on the need for a peace committee, and delivered an emotive call for national unity.

Yet, beyond the optics of a presidential visit, many are asking: will Tinubu’s bold words translate into bold action?

One of the most striking moments of the Makurdi address came when President Tinubu directly challenged the Inspector General of Police (IGP): “How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals.” The comment, unusually direct and delivered before state officials and media, was followed by further directives to the military. Tinubu ordered the Service Chiefs to deploy forces and “flush out armed herdsmen” responsible for the sustained violence in the region. This level of executive assertiveness toward both police and military establishments signaled a potential shift toward public accountability in Nigeria’s security discourse.

Yet rhetoric is one thing; implementation is another. Without a clear operational framework, community engagement, and accountability mechanisms, the force of the President’s statement may dissipate into political theatre.This is what the adminstrative machinery in the presidency and the coordinating elements of our national security architecture must do. They failed to advice the president to convene a National Security Council meeting when the killings occur, which is the conventinal thing to do, should not fail in this task.

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In a more personal moment, Tinubu turned to Governor Hyacinth Alia and encouraged him to transform this crisis into a platform for renewal. Drawing from his own experience governing Lagos after violent unrest, Presidnet Tinubu said: “I was governor of Lagos when we had ethnic and political crises. I turned them into opportunities. You can do the same in Benue.” This comment, while clearly intended as motivational, struck some observers as politically fraught. While leadership in crisis is indeed essential, framing mass death and displacement as a potential “opportunity” — without accompanying guarantees of justice or restitution — risks being perceived as tone-deaf. Still, if translated into concrete investment in security reform, local governance, and reconciliation, this advice could help Benue state chart a new path forward.

The President also proposed the formation of a high-level peace committee, comprising traditional leaders, past governors, and community representatives. Its mandate: to develop a lasting peace framework that would include all stakeholders and address underlying drivers of conflict. Such a committee is a welcome idea in principle. But for it to succeed, it must be empowered with legal authority, adequate funding, and a deadline for delivering actionable recommendations. Without these, it risks becoming yet another ceremonial assembly with no capacity to change facts on the ground. Again this is another task for the coordinating elements of our national security architecture to engage the state government on these issues.

President Tinubu’s emotional appeal to ethnic and religious unity drew on a familiar metaphor: “As Nigerians, we are members of the same house, just sleeping in different rooms…whether you are Tiv, Idoma, or Yoruba, let us fight our enemies together, not fight each other.” The symbolism was powerful. But it must be matched by action that addresses the reasons people no longer feel safe in that shared house. Calls for unity must be accompanied by justice for victims, resettlement of displaced persons, and a reversal of the impunity that allows such killings to recur. This is rooted in effectice public safety and security, one that arrests and punishes offenders without regards to their identity, political affiliation or religious inclination.

Despite the weight of President Tinubu’s visit, several critical gaps remain. No concrete arrest or prosecution targets were given to the police or military leadership. No timeline or legal structure was outlined for the peace committee. There was no mention of immediate relief, compensation, or land restoration for affected communities. Nor was there any strategy to integrate or professionalize local vigilante and community defense systems, which are the first line of security in rural areas. These omissions could prove fatal to the credibility of the entire initiative unless urgently addressed.

To give his words lasting impact, President Tinubu should immediately set a 30-day operational benchmark for arrests in the Yelwata case, with weekly public updates. A joint federal-state community security initiative should be launched, including support for vetted vigilante groups. The initiative should have the six ingredients of an effective public security system including the ability to detect, deny, and delay threat elements and to respond, review and recover. A compensation and reintegration program for displaced families should be led by NEMA and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs working with state government departments. And to build public trust, the Presidency or Interior Ministry should hold monthly briefings to communicate progress on peace and security in Benue and surrounding states.

Also critical is the need for the President Tinubu to assuage the rising criticism from some states, such as Katsina, Zamfara and Borno, where mass killings have occurred in the past but President Tinubu never visited. These feelings are grounded in sentiments that the religious dimension associated with the killings in Benue may have pressured the president to visit.

President Tinubu’s June 18 address was ambitious in tone and scope. He spoke of justice, unity, and transformation. He challenged his own appointees and encouraged the Benue governor to seize this moment as a turning point.

But the path from tragedy to opportunity is paved with accountability, not aspiration.

For the families in Yelwata, unity means nothing if the killers roam free. For the farmers across Guma and Gwer West, peace is hollow if they cannot return to their land. And for Northern Nigerians and victims of violent crimnality in all parts of Nigeria weary of cycles of violence and promises, the only acceptable next step is action — visible, verifiable, and sustained.

Only then can this moment become more than a speech. It can become the start of healing.

Dr Kabiru Adamu is a security expert and Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Consults. He has been monitoring the protracted security challenges in the North for long.