Benue killings: UNYF rejects Tinubu’s visit, demands justice sack of security chiefs

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Unified Nigeria Youth Forum (UNYF) has demanded immediate justice for victims of the recent massacre in Yelewata village, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where over 200 lives were brutally cut short.

The group in a press statement on Thursday by its president Comrade Toriah Olajide Filani also called for a complete overhaul of the nation’s security architecture, describing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s condolence visit to the state as hollow and politically motivated.

UNYF condemned what it termed a bureaucratic routine and cosmetic response to a situation akin to civil warfare, noting that the President’s visit failed to address the enormity of the humanitarian crisis on the ground and lacked any tangible commitment to security or relief intervention.

Filani added that the killings in Benue have reportedly claimed over 360 lives and displaced more than 6,500 persons in the past month alone, a development the Forum said demanded a coordinated military response and political will, not ceremonial visits. It insisted that Benue does not need presidential optics but decisive leadership and swift security interventions.

The group further demanded the immediate resignation or sack of all service chiefs, the National Security Adviser, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for what it described as a gross failure of leadership and dereliction of constitutional duty. It argued that in line with global best democratic practices, public officials under whose watch such mass killings occur must take responsibility and vacate office.

Citing Chapter Two, Sections 2 and 3 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, UNYF urged President Tinubu to consider voluntary resignation. It maintained that sovereignty belongs to the people and that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. The Forum stated that the continuous slaughter of Nigerians under the President’s watch is a breach of this constitutional mandate.

It further warned that reconciliation without justice would embolden the killers, deepen the wounds of affected communities, and erode public trust in governance. The group stressed that the carnage must not be treated as a political issue but as a national emergency requiring firm, transparent, and accountable responses.

While calling for the identification and prosecution of all perpetrators under relevant sections of the Criminal Code and Penal Code to reinforce the principle of zero tolerance for impunity, Filani urged the federal government to provide adequate compensation and psychological support to bereaved families in accordance with Section 35 of the Constitution and international human rights standards.