Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has expressed disappointment over President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State, arguing that the President’s conduct during the trip appeared detached and politically motivated.
Farotimi, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, said the visit lacked empathy and failed to address the gravity of the crisis facing the state.
“I must say very quickly that it would have been better if the president didn’t go,” he stated.
According to Farotimi, the only meaningful voice during the President’s visit to Makurdi was that of the Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse. The traditional ruler had described the continued killings in the region as a:
“calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits”.
Farotimi praised the monarch’s remarks, saying:
“The only thing worthy of anybody’s time was the words of the Tor Tiv, who spoke extensively to the reality of the situation in the Benue trough and spoke eloquently to the pains of the victims.”
He criticized the overall tone and content of the President’s visit:
“Other than that, all the president had to offer were mere windows into his preoccupation and what truly concerns his aides and assistants.”
Benue, a major agricultural hub in Nigeria’s North-Central region, has endured waves of violent attacks blamed on suspected herdsmen.
While tensions have simmered for years, recent weeks have seen an escalation. Over 160 lives have been lost in various assaults across communities in the state.
One of the most devastating incidents occurred last Friday in Yelewata, where an overnight assault left scores dead and displaced over 3,000 people.
Official figures placed the death toll at 59, but civil rights groups claimed as many as 200 people were killed.
In response to public outcry, including condemnation from international figures like Pope Leo XIV, President Tinubu visited Benue on Wednesday and urged military and police chiefs to act swiftly.
“Let’s get those criminals out,” he told service chiefs during the visit.
But Farotimi found fault not just with the President’s message, but also with the atmosphere surrounding the visit.
“In Benue, they knew exactly what was of importance to the president, so they ensured that they put up the necessary theatre for 2027,” he remarked.
He continued:
“The death of over 200 people did not count much; they were mentioned only in passing, and you would have been excused that it was a political event.”
Farotimi further lamented the lack of national outrage:
“We’ve almost lost our capacity to be shocked. 200 human beings were murdered, and the President went to Benue and was talking as if he were preparing for a campaign rally.”
“It was more or less that they went to dance on the graves of some of whom may not even be identified. Let the state begin to protect the lives and property of the citizens.”
The attacks have reignited calls for urgent reforms.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has demanded the creation of a state police force and the establishment of an intervention fund to address the humanitarian crisis.
