President Bola Tinubu will visit Benue State on Wednesday amid the growing concerns over the violence that has led to the loss of lives and property in the state.
His visit follows the recent attack in the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area last Friday which left at least 59 residents dead and hundreds displaced.
The President had while sympathising with the people of Benue during the inauguration of the Greater Abuja Water Supply Network in Abuja, the nation’s capital, on Monday, said he would adjust his schedule to visit the state on Wednesday.
“In preparation for the visit, President Tinubu has already dispatched the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees to Benue State,” a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed on Monday.
While in Benue, Tinubu is expected to hold a town hall meeting with stakeholders.
The killings in Yelwata sparked a protest by angry youths who demanded an end to the violence.
It also attracted criticisms from major opposition leaders, like the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, who called on the President to take urgent steps to address the killings.
On Sunday, the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, condemned what he described as a “massacre” and called for peace.
On Tuesday, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, met with stakeholders, including traditional rulers, in Benue and called for collaboration to stem the renewed spate of killings in the state.
Musa said, “The Armed Forces are with you. We are pained about what’s happening. For me, it’s a personal thing. I don’t want to be the chief of defense of our Armed Forces when people are being killed. No.
“We have gone to Liberia, we’re going to Sierra Leone, we’ve gone to other countries, and have brought peace. Why not in our own country?
“So, I want to assure you, no member of the Armed Forces is going to be against one. If we notice anybody, we’re ready to prosecute that person.”