FG Confirms Over 200 Killed in Benue, Rejects Governor Alia's Retaliation Claim

The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially confirmed that more than 200 people were killed in recent coordinated attacks in Benue State, dismissing Governor Hyacinth Alia’s earlier claim that the killings were retaliatory strikes.

This confirmation came via a statement released Monday by Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), through his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Terrence Kuanum.

Governor Alia had previously downplayed the massacre, stating that "only" 59 people died and suggesting that the killings may have been reprisals by armed herders from Nasarawa State through familiar migration routes.

But in stark contrast, the SGF described the event as “a cruel and calculated slaughter,” firmly rejecting the notion that the attack was a retaliatory action.

“I am horrified by the scale of this attack,” Akume stated. “That over 200 human lives could be wiped out in such a cruel and calculated manner is an affront to our shared humanity.”

Akume, himself a former governor of Benue State, expressed solidarity with the victims' families and survivors. He called on traditional, religious, and political leaders to come together and address the worsening insecurity in Benue and across the country.

“As a former governor, I understand the complex challenges associated with fighting insecurity. However, we must all stand together, regardless of our differences, to confront and defeat this evil,” he said.

The SGF described the massacre in Yelewata and Daudu, towns in Guma Local Government Area, as “mindless barbarism” and “totally unacceptable.”

Akume expressed confidence in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to the Service Chiefs and emphasized that protecting Nigerian communities is central to the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We must not relent until every community is safe,” he added. “This is at the core of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Despite the Federal Government’s stance, Governor Alia reiterated in a previous statement, “What we’re witnessing today, if someone describes it as reprisal attacks, we wouldn’t entirely disagree.” This remark has drawn criticism from various stakeholders who argue that such framing downplays the magnitude and cruelty of the killings.