Human Rights and Democracy

The Killing Fields of Benue: Government Complicity in Plain Sight

On the evening of Friday, June 13, 2025, the blood of ordinary Nigerians once again soaked the

earth of Benue State. Dozens of innocent lives were lost in yet another spate of senseless killings

that have come to define the grim reality of communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The

perpetrators, believed to be armed herders and militia groups, unleashed terror on defenceless men,

women, and children, burning them alive in their homes in coordinated, gruesome attacks. As the

nation mourns, we are forced to confront an uncomfortable and painful truth: the Nigerian

government has become complicit in its silence, absent in its duty, and indifferent in the face of

repeated tragedy.

The massacre in Benue is not an isolated incident, it is a pattern. These communities have become

theatres of violence and graveyards of broken promises. In a functioning democracy, the primary

responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property. But in Nigeria, the state

appears to have abdicated that responsibility, rendering citizens vulnerable and exposed, as armed

groups act with impunity and calculated precision.

Right to Life: A Constitutional Mockery

Section 33(1) of Nigeria’s Constitution, 1999 (as amended) guarantees the right to life. This is not

a privilege granted by the state. It is a fundamental, inalienable right. Yet, in Benue and many

parts of Nigeria, the right to life has become an illusion, a constitutional abstraction that holds no

weight for the thousands who have been killed, maimed, or displaced over the years.

What explanation and compensation can be given to the families whose loved ones were

butchered and burned alive in the very homes they built to feel safe? The government, with all its

security architecture and billions allocated for defence, continues to issue tired press statements,

promising investigations that yield no justice and deploying security forces that arrive only after

the carnage is complete.

Failure of Intelligence, Absence of Will

What has happened in Benue is not just a security failure, it is a betrayal of the Nigerian state.

Intelligence reports are routinely ignored, community warnings go unheeded, and security

deployments, when they do occur, are inadequate and ineffective. How do groups of armed killers

move freely in broad daylight, executing attacks in multiple communities without interception?

How does a nation so heavily militarised, with checkpoints dotting every kilometre of the road,

suddenly become porous when it matters most?

The answer lies in a government that has become detached from the people and desensitised to the

horror that now defines rural life. We cannot ignore the allegations of collusion, the whispers of

state-sponsored silence, and the growing belief that the lives of some Nigerians matter less than

others.

Corruption and the Commodification of Security

Nigeria spends billions annually on security. Defence budgets balloon while actual protection

deflates. It is no longer a secret that corruption within the security sector has paralysed operational

efficiency. Funds meant for weapons and welfare are siphoned into private pockets, leaving troops

ill-equipped and demoralised. Security has become business, and as long as insecurity persists, the

profits of chaos keep flowing.

Benue’s people pay the price. They are slaughtered while contractors feast. They bury their

children while leaders campaign. They live in fear while Abuja drowns in denial.

The Silence of Leadership is Violence

Perhaps the most devastating aspect of the Benue killings is the loud silence of Nigeria’s

leadership. As citizens cried out for help, as men, women, and children were shot dead, butchered,

and burned alive; their corpses piling up amidst bones and ashes, the President remained aloof,

offering no national address, no visit to the affected communities, no urgent response. It is a

silence that reeks of indifference. A silence that emboldens killers. A silence that kills.

Governance is not a social media press release. It is not a series of condolence tweets. It is not

about jetting off to international conferences while citizens perish at home. Leadership demands

presence, empathy, urgency, and action. On all counts, the Nigerian government has failed.

Accountability, Justice, and the Urgency of Action

If we are to stop the bloodshed in Benue and across Nigeria, we must demand accountability at

every level. Investigations must lead to prosecutions. Security chiefs must be held responsible for

lapses. Corrupt officials must face the law. Compensation must be paid to victims. And more

importantly, there must be a complete overhaul of the nation’s security architecture with

community-led solutions, intelligence-based strategies, and a commitment to justice.

The time has come for social movements, civil society, and communities to rise in one voice. We

must reject the normalisation of violence and push back against a government that has treated

death as mere statistics. Every life lost in Benue is a blot on our collective conscience, and every

drop of blood spilled is an indictment on the Nigerian state.

The killings must stop. The impunity must end. The people must rise.

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