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Japan Today
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Nigerian president orders crackdown on gangs after 150 killed in conflict-hit north
In this photo released by the Nigeria State House, Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, second from left, visits the victims of of a recent gun attack on a village at the hospital in Benue, north- central, Nigeria, Wednesday June 18, 2025. (Taiwo Okanlawon/Nigeria State House via AP) By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday directed security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators of a weekend attack that killed at least 150 people in the country's north-central region, as he faces growing pressure over a worsening security crisis. Tinubu visited Benue state, the site of the recent deadly attacks, seeking to calm tensions and promise justice for the victims. 'We will restore peace, rebuild, and bring the perpetrators to justice. You are not alone.' the Nigerian leader said on X. Assailants stormed Benue state's Yelewata community from Friday night till Saturday morning, opening fire on villagers who were asleep and setting their homes ablaze, survivors and the local farmers union said. Many of those killed were sheltering in a local market after fleeing violence in other parts of the state. Authorities in Benue state blamed herdsmen for the attack, a type of violence frequently seen in northern Nigeria's decadeslong pastoral conflict. Opposition leaders and critics have accused Tinubu of a delayed response to the killings, noting his office issued a statement over 24 hours after the attack. His visit to the state occurred five days later. The Nigerian leader traveled to Makurdi, Benue State's capital, where he visited a hospital to see those injured in the attack and met with local leaders to discuss how to end the killings. He did not visit the Yelewata community. He also appeared to reprimand the police for not making any arrest yet more than four days after the killings. 'How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,' Tinubu asked as he addressed senior police officers during a gathering in Benue. Analysts blame Nigeria's worsening security crisis on a lack of political will to go after criminals and ensure justice for victims. 'In the end, the result is the same: No justice, no accountability, and no closure for the victims and their communities," said Senator Iroegbu, a security analyst based in Nigeria's capital Abuja. 'Until this changes, impunity will remain the norm, and such tragedies will continue to occur.' © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
At least 100 people killed by gunmen in Nigeria, rights group says
By DYEPKAZAH SHIBAYAN At least 100 people have been killed in a gun attack on a village in Nigeria 's north-central Benue state, Amnesty International Nigeria said Saturday. The attack took place between late Friday and the early hours of Saturday in Yelewata, a community in the Guma area of the state, the rights group said in a Facebook post. Dozens of people are still missing, and hundreds were injured and without adequate medical care, it added. 'Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms. So many bodies were burnt beyond recognition,' Amnesty said. Graphic videos and photographs on social media platforms showed what appeared to be corpses and burnt down houses in the aftermath of the attack. Udeme Edet, a spokesperson of the police in Benue, confirmed that an attack took place in Yelewata, but did not specify how many people were killed. While it remains unclear who was responsible for the killings, such attacks are common in Nigeria's northern region where local herders and farmers often clash over limited access to land and water. The farmers accuse the herders, mostly of Fulani origin, of grazing their livestock on their farms and destroying their produce. The herders insist that the lands are grazing routes that were first backed by law in 1965, five years after the country gained its independence. Last month, gunmen, believed to be herders, killed at least 20 people in the Gwer West area of Benue. In April, at least 40 people were killed in the neighbouring state of Plateau. Benue State Gov. Hyacinth Alia has sent a delegation to Yelewat to support relatives of the victims. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
