• 19 Jun, 2025
• Faith Kegh
• No comment

Farotimi: Tinubu’s Visit to Benue Did More Harm Than Good.

Human rights lawyer and activist Dele Farotimi has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State, saying it would

have been better if the President had not gone at all, given his apparent lack of empathy during the trip.

Farotimi made the comments during an appearance on Channels Television’s *The Morning Brief* on Thursday. He said the only meaningful remarks during the visit came from the Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, who described the violence in the state as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits.”

“The President’s visit lacked substance,” Farotimi said. “It seemed more like a campaign stop than a visit to a grieving state. The only person who truly addressed the crisis was the Tor Tiv. The President and his team seemed more focused on optics than the suffering of the people.”

Benue State, a major agricultural hub in Nigeria’s North-Central region, has endured prolonged and deadly attacks by suspected herdsmen. Over the last two months alone, more than 160 people have been killed in a series of violent attacks. One recent incident in Yelewata left at least 59 dead according to government reports, though civil society groups claim the true figure may be closer to 200, with over 3,000 people displaced.

The atrocities have drawn both national outrage and international condemnation, including from Pope Leo XIV, who referred to the killings as a “terrible massacre.”

President Tinubu visited Benue on Wednesday, where he instructed military leaders to put an end to the violence and bring the perpetrators to justice. However, Farotimi criticized the celebratory tone of the visit, especially the red-carpet reception, as inappropriate for a state in mourning.

“In Benue, the organizers appeared more interested in political performance than addressing real suffering. Over 200 people died, yet they were mentioned only briefly, as though it were just another political speech,” Farotimi stated.

He added, “The primary responsibility of the state is to protect lives and property. But we’ve become so numb to loss that even mass murder is treated like background noise. The President’s behavior suggested he was preparing for an election, not responding to a tragedy. It felt like they danced on the graves of the victims, some of whom may never be identified.”

Farotimi called on the government to take its duty to protect citizens more seriously, especially in times of crisis.

Faith Kegh

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