The Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, has declared that the killings and violence in Benue State are not the result of farmer-herder clashes but a calculated genocidal invasion by herder terrorists and bandits.
Speaking during a stakeholders’ meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, the traditional ruler strongly dismissed what he called misinformation and misrepresentation of the true nature of the crisis.
“Your Excellency, it’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes,” Tor Tiv said. “What we are dealing with here in Benue is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits, which has been going on for decades and is worsening every year.”
He warned that framing the violence as mere communal disputes or reprisal attacks had led to calls for Benue people to simply remain tolerant or negotiate for peace, which he said grossly downplays the magnitude of the threat.
“It is this misinformation that has led to suggestions such as ‘remain tolerant, negotiate for peace, learn to live with your neighbours’,” Ayatse said.
He stressed that misdiagnosing the conflict would lead to ineffective solutions. “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 war,” he told President Tinubu.
