Following the recent bloodshed in Benue State, the New Nigeria People’s Party has criticised the Federal Government, describing its response as “lukewarm,” “insensitive,” and lacking “basic human empathy.”
According to Punch, this was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday.
The NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, condemned the mass killing of over 200 residents in Yelewata community, Guma Local Government Area, by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
“This is a horrifying act of mass murder. Over 200 innocent Nigerians were slaughtered and property destroyed without provocation. What’s worse, it took the Federal Government days to meaningfully intervene.”
“It’s no longer enough to call for peace meetings in Abuja,” Johnson asserted, referring to the President’s recent proposal during a stakeholders meeting in Makurdi. “The question he asked—‘How come no arrest has been made?’—is one that Nigerians have been asking for years. Where is the justice?” Johnson asked.
The NNPP emphasised that such meetings, while well-meaning, have done little to halt the tide of bloodshed.
It urged the Federal Government to mobilise intelligence and security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators and dismantle what it described as “a reign of terror.”
Johnson condemned the President’s apparent suggestion that victims should “negotiate” with their attackers, insisting that what is happening in Benue is not a communal conflict but “organised terrorism or even genocide.”
“How do you ask grieving communities to sit down and negotiate with killers?” he queried. “Until the government recognises these atrocities for what they truly are—acts of terrorism—the carnage will continue unchecked”, he added.
“Such fanfare amid tragedy shows a stunning lack of empathy,” Johnson fumed. “How could anyone think it appropriate to stage a spectacle while hundreds of citizens lie dead and communities are grieving?”
NNPP further extended heartfelt condolences to the people of Benue State, urging the Federal Government to rise beyond rhetoric and perform its constitutional duty of protecting lives and property.
“This moment calls for courage and political will. President Tinubu must find it within himself to call a spade a spade—not a big spoon”, Johnson noted.
