IGP Egbetokun storms Benue, orders tactical reinforcement amid mass killings

In response to the escalating violence and mass killings in Benue State, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has arrived in the troubled region and ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams.

The move follows a brutal wave of attacks by suspected herders in Guma Local Government Area that has left at least 45 people confirmed dead, with local sources warning the true death toll could exceed 200.

Eyewitness accounts and community leaders report that entire families were burned alive, with some security personnel also counted among the victims.

The Nigeria Police Force confirmed the IGP’s arrival in a terse statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday:
“IGP arrives Benue, orders for additional deployment of tactical teams.”

The statement, while brief, comes amid a growing national outcry and rising demands for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Benue State.

Citizens across the country have taken to social media to express anger and despair, accusing the government of indifference to the lives being lost in the Middle Belt state.

Many critics have drawn sharp comparisons between the government’s response to the Benue massacre and its swift intervention during the political crisis in Rivers State earlier this year.

Critics claimed that the Federal Government moved quickly to declare a state of emergency in Rivers — despite no reported fatalities — sparking accusations of selective urgency.

“Why was a state of emergency declared in Rivers without a single death, yet over 200 people can be killed in Benue without a whisper from Abuja?” a prominent rights activist asked on X.

The latest violence in Benue is part of a recurring pattern of deadly clashes that have plagued the state for years, often pitting farming communities against heavily armed herders. Residents have long complained of inadequate security presence, delayed military responses, and a lack of accountability for the bloodshed.

The IGP’s presence and reinforcement of tactical units are expected to calm tensions temporarily, but many Nigerians insist that only a long-term, coordinated federal intervention can bring lasting peace.