Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the lingering violence and bloodshed in Benue State, describing it as a national disgrace and urging urgent government action.

In a statement, titled “Enough is Enough: Benue Cannot Bleed in Silence”, released Monday, he described the situation in Benue as a “brutal and heart-wrenching reality” that has reached a “devastating crescendo”, with families continually burying their loved ones while the federal and state governments offer “nothing but hollow assurances.”

According to him, “This is not governance; it is cruelty,” criticising what he sees as a betrayal of the sacred duty of leadership.

He further criticized the federal government’s failure to protect citizens, stressing that when people protest peacefully for their constitutional rights to life and security, they are met with “tear gas, brutality, and disdain.”

The statement added that Benue is not alone, referencing similar crises in Plateau, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Taraba States.
Therefore, Atiku called for the deployment of security personnel, a restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture, and justice for affected communities.
He noted that the silence of leaders is complicity and that history will not be kind to those who chose to look away.

The Waziri Adamawa also urged citizens not to be silenced but to “raise your voices, demand justice, demand accountability.”

Atiku’s call comes amid ongoing tension in Benue State following recent mass killings in the Guma Local Government Area, where scores of internally displaced persons were reportedly massacred by armed assailants.