A Nation Under Siege: Blood on Their Hands? Examining the Nigerian Government’s Role in the Endless Benue Attack
Nigerian Government displays negligence. While the world watches Nigeria fight for democracy and development, a silent war is unfolding in Benue State a war that has left thousands dead and many more displaced. The victims are mostly farmers, the perpetrators are often labeled as “unknown gunmen,” and the government’s response? At best, half-hearted. At worst, complicit.
What role has the Nigerian government played in this carnage? Is it mere neglect, or is there a more sinister agenda at work?
Benue: A State Trapped in Terror
For over a decade, Benue State has suffered relentless attacks from armed herdsmen, mostly targeting agrarian communities. Entire villages have been wiped out. Women and children are brutally murdered. Farmlands are torched. Yet, the federal government’s response remains alarmingly passive.
These are not just random acts of violence — they represent a coordinated campaign of terror. And if the government can’t (or won’t) stop it, then it’s only fair to ask: Whose side are they really on?
Silence is Complicity: The Federal Government’s Deafening Quiet
The Nigerian government is constitutionally responsible for the protection of lives and property. However, President after President has watched Benue burn with little more than lukewarm statements and belated condolence visits.
When terrorists attacked Abuja or kidnapped schoolchildren in the North-West, the reaction was swift. But in Benue? Days pass before any federal response. Sometimes no response at all.
This silence has been interpreted by many as tactical indifference, especially since the attackers are often linked to the Fulani ethnic group the same ethnicity as Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari, and other powerful figures in the national hierarchy.
Deliberate Underfunding of Security in the Middle Belt?
The Nigerian Army receives billions in funding every year, yet military presence in Benue remains minimal. Security checkpoints are either unmanned or inefficient, and local vigilante groups are forced to fight with dane guns while the attackers wield AK-47s.
Why is it that the Middle Belt particularly Benue is not prioritized for military deployment despite being a known hotspot?
Some critics allege deliberate underfunding and logistical neglect to weaken opposition strongholds and punish regions that resist political alignment with the center. Whether true or not, the perception of bias is deeply rooted in Benue.
The Anti-Open Grazing Law: A Turning Point or a Death Warrant?
In 2017, Benue passed the Anti-Open Grazing Law to curb the farmer-herder conflict. It was a bold move. But instead of getting support from the federal government, Benue was vilified.
Top government officials, including the presidency, publicly criticized the law, calling it “provocative” and “unfriendly.” What followed was an escalation in attacks, almost as if the law had signed the death warrants of innocent citizens.
Is it coincidence, or was it a message that Benue dared to stand alone and would pay the price?
Is This Ethnic Cleansing Disguised as Farmer-Herder Conflict?
When Fulani herdsmen kill and displace Tiv and Idoma communities, and the federal government fails to name, arrest, or prosecute the culprits what exactly are we looking at?
Ethnic cleansing? Land grabbing? A quiet jihad?
The government has consistently failed to label these attacks as terrorism even when the scale and brutality far exceed the activities of many so-called terror groups. Why the double standard?
If Boko Haram attacks a mosque, it’s terrorism. If herdsmen attack a village, it’s a “clash.”
The question must be asked: Is the federal government protecting the perpetrators instead of the victims?
Humanitarian Crisis? Barely a Whisper
The attacks have created a humanitarian catastrophe. Thousands are in IDP camps under inhumane conditions, with little federal intervention. Food, water, medical care all scarce. Meanwhile, federal lawmakers bicker over budget allocations for luxury SUVs and foreign trips.
Benue’s displaced have become statistical footnotes, while politicians pretend the Middle Belt doesn’t exist. And the world moves on.
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International Silence Enabled by Federal Denial
The international community has been slow to react, largely because the Nigerian government downplays the crisis. Unlike Boko Haram or ISIS, the attackers in Benue are not declared enemies of the state.
The government’s denial and underreporting of the violence allow foreign allies and aid organizations to ignore the cries of Benue. After all, if the Nigerian government says it’s “just communal clashes,” why should the world care?
Solutions the Federal Government Refuses to Implement
Here’s what the government could do but hasn’t:
- Deploy elite security forces permanently to hotspots.
- Declare Fulani militia groups as terrorist organizations.
- Support state police creation to empower local response.
- Provide emergency relief and fund IDP resettlement.
- Establish a federal land-use dialogue to address herder-farmer conflicts peacefully.
The resources and frameworks exist. What’s missing is political will.
Whatsnextng Conclusion: Government Inaction Is a Form of Action
Whether through incompetence, negligence, or a darker motive, the Nigerian government’s failure to protect Benue is a moral and constitutional betrayal.
Inaction in the face of evil is not neutrality. It’s participation.
Our today’s article critically examines the Nigerian federal government’s role in the ongoing violence in Benue State, where armed herdsmen continue to launch deadly attacks on rural communities. Despite years of bloodshed, the government’s response has been minimal, with many citizens accusing it of indifference, bias, or even complicity.
The federal silence, lack of military support, and refusal to recognize the perpetrators as terrorists have deepened suspicions of ethnic favoritism and political motives.
The article highlights how the government’s criticism of Benue’s Anti-Open Grazing Law, its failure to support displaced victims, and its refusal to deploy meaningful security reinforce a narrative of abandonment.
It calls out the dangerous normalization of these attacks, the humanitarian crisis it has caused, and the urgent need for federal accountability. Ultimately, it argues that by failing to act, the Nigerian government has allowed this violence to fester and must now be held responsible for the consequences.
Until the government acknowledges the severity of this crisis and takes aggressive steps to end it, the blood of Benue will stain every silence, every denial, and every empty promise made from Aso Rock.
The time for diplomatic language has passed. It’s time to hold our leaders accountable not just for what they’ve done, but for what they have refused to do.
