By: TPA News Desk | editor@thepointafricanews.com

Abuja/Makurdi — President Bola Tinubu has directed Nigeria’s security agencies to halt a deadly surge of attacks in central Benue State that has reportedly claimed more than 200 lives in recent days. Tinubu described the violence as “inhuman and anti‑progress” as the state capital, Makurdi, witnessed large-scale protests demanding a crackdown on the killers .

The directive—issued through Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga—urges security forces to enforce his prior orders, conduct swift arrests, and actively prosecute the perpetrators. The President has also tasked Governor Hyacinth Alia with facilitating dialogue and reconciliation between farmers, herders, and community stakeholders to restore peace

Mass displacement has ensued following the worst of the violence. Local authorities in Makurdi reported hundreds of protesters mobilizing on the streets this weekend, leading to confrontations with police who used tear gas to disperse crowds demanding government action. The National Emergency Management Agency, in partnership with humanitarian organizations, says over 3,000 people have been displaced.

Community leaders and religious figures—including Pope Leo XIV—have decried the attacks as terrorizing Christian and rural populations. Major casualties were recorded in Yelewata, where 100–150 people were killed in a single Friday night raid rooted in longstanding farmer-herder land disputes.