Benue killings: NANS criticises Tinubu, Alia, calls for immediate intervention

The Joint Campus Council of the National Association of Nigerian Students in Lagos State has strongly denounced the killing of more than 150 Nigerians in Benue State, calling it a national disgrace and evidence of the government’s ongoing failure to safeguard its people.

In a statement issued on Monday and signed by Chairman Abdul-Raheem Abdul-Quadri, NANS Lagos voiced its anger over what it labeled as “the senseless massacre of innocent farmers, traders, women, and children” in Guma and nearby areas.

The association said the incident, which left many families annihilated, homes destroyed, and children without parents, marks a deep moral failure for the country.

“This carnage, which has left families torn apart and entire communities in mourning, is not only a tragedy, it is a damning indictment on a country that claims to be governed by law,” the statement read.

NANS JCC Lagos criticized President Bola Tinubu for his delayed response, noting that his visit to the region was scheduled five days after the killings occurred.

“It raises serious questions about leadership priorities and national empathy,” Abdul-Quadri said.

The group also held Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State responsible for not acting quickly and firmly in his capacity as the state’s Chief Security Officer.

They argued that the governor’s response has been inadequate given the severity of the crisis, and that his silence has been notably deafening.

Demanding prompt and impactful steps, NANS Lagos called on Tinubu to not only visit the victims but to arrive with meaningful plans for compensation and reconstruction, “not for photo ops, but for genuine assessment and solidarity.”

They further insisted on the urgent creation of a judicial panel of inquiry that would include voices from civil society and the student body, to investigate the killings and hold the perpetrators responsible.

The group stressed that there must be a fundamental change in how rural security is handled in Benue, insisting that lives cannot continue to rely on delayed law enforcement responses.

“We need boots on the ground before the next attack, not after. That’s the only way the people will begin to trust the government again,” said the group’s Public Relations Officer, Comrade Ridwan Ajayi.

NANS also highlighted how important it is to assist the victims, many of whom have lost everything, urging both state and federal governments to offer mental health support, emergency supplies, and financial help for rebuilding.

They also demanded that those responsible for the killings and their backers be swiftly arrested and prosecuted, cautioning that government silence and inaction only lead to more violence.

“No one should be above the law, no matter how highly placed. If these killings go unanswered, we risk normalising barbarism,” the statement warned.

NANS said the incident reflects a wider and troubling pattern of uncontrolled violence spreading across the Middle Belt, adding that Nigeria is now at a critical point where mass killings are becoming more frequent.

“If the government cannot guarantee safety and justice, then it loses its legitimacy in the eyes of the governed,” the students said.

They pledged to take action if required, stating that student leaders have a responsibility to defend the voiceless and to ensure such atrocities never repeat.

“Never again should Nigerian children go to bed and not wake up. Never again should our leaders place optics above real action. Never again should lives be treated as expendable,” the statement added.

Giving what they called a final caution to the country’s political leaders, NANS JCC Lagos stated, “The patience of the Nigerian people is wearing thin. You cannot keep issuing empty statements while citizens are buried in mass graves.”