‘This is war, not a clash’: Tor Tiv challenges official narrative on Benue killings

James Ayatse, Tor Tiv of Benue, has dismissed the official framing of violence in his state as farmer-herder clashes, describing the killings as a deliberate and escalating genocidal invasion by herder terrorists and bandits.

The monarch made the bold declaration during a stakeholders’ meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Makurdi on Wednesday, following the president’s visit to victims of recent attacks that left hundreds dead and displaced many others.

“Your excellency, it is not herder-farmers clashes, it is not communal clashes, it is not reprisal attacks, this is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign, and it has been happening for decades,” Ayatse said.

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His comments came after a brutal wave of violence that saw over 100 people killed in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area on June 14, with the death toll reportedly rising to 200 by the following Sunday, drawing national outrage and renewed attention to the state’s long-running insecurity.

Tinubu, on his first official visit to Benue since the killings, met with injured survivors and local leaders, promising justice and ordering security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators.

But the Tor Tiv urged the president to go beyond promises, insisting that truth-telling must be the foundation of any meaningful response.

“We have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of this security crisis, and a wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment. What we are dealing with here is war, not a misunderstanding between neighbours.”

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He also criticised what he called dangerous narratives urging Benue residents to be tolerant or negotiate peace. “You don’t negotiate with invaders, you defend your land,” Ayatse said.

The monarch’s remarks reflect growing frustration in the state, where thousands have been displaced and entire communities wiped out amid persistent attacks attributed to armed herders, with many locals saying successive governments have failed to confront the scale and intent of the violence.