Benue Killings: Tor Tiv Declares ‘Genocide’, Urges Tinubu to Act
By Chukwuebuka Chukwuemeka Makurdi, Nigeria — June 18, 2025 In a powerful and emotionally charged address, the Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty Prof. James Ayatse, has decried the ongoing violence in Benue State as “genocide” and not the often-described herder-farmer conflict. Speaking during a high-level security meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makurdi, the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation emphasized that what is happening in the state is a systematic and targeted attempt to displace the indigenous people from their ancestral lands. Tor Tiv, His Royal Majesty Prof. James Ayatse “This is not a dispute between herders and farmers. This is genocide. Our people are being wiped out and their lands taken,” Tor Tiv declared. He called on President Tinubu to immediately recognize the gravity of the situation and deploy meaningful federal action to end the bloodshed. A Cry from the People On the streets of Makurdi, the capital of Benue, the grief of the people has turned ...