The recent massacre in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where at least 150 civilians, including children and the elderly, were brutally killed, has once again brought to the fore Nigeria’s persistent failure to prevent rural violence. This was not an isolated tragedy, but the latest in a string of deadly attacks that have plagued the country’s Middle Belt for over a decade. The circumstances of the killings, reportedly carried out by armed assailants in what appears to be a reprisal attack, point to a worrying deterioration in the state’s capacity to protect its citizens.
The violence, though staggering in its scale, follows a familiar and tragic pattern: unresolved land disputes, the persistence of open grazing, and a reactive rather than preventive approach to internal security. While President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has eventually visited the affected communities, these symbolic gestures are no longer sufficient. What is needed is a shift from sympathy to strategy.
“The killing of innocent civilians should never be normalised, nor should political leaders be allowed to treat preventable tragedies as routine.”
Benue State, often described as the “food basket” of Nigeria, has become one of the epicentres of these clashes. According to Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), thousands have been displaced in the last five years due to farmer-herder violence, with many now living in camps under precarious conditions. Recent reports by Amnesty International and the International Crisis Group point to the systematic nature of the attacks, often preceded by threats, and carried out with little to no consequences for perpetrators.
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Despite repeated calls for reform, the federal government has been reluctant to tackle the root cause: the unsustainable practice of open grazing. In a country where the population is growing, cities are expanding, and land and water are in high demand, allowing livestock to keep moving freely across state borders is outdated and increasingly dangerous. Ranching, not roaming, is the future. It offers not only a more secure form of animal husbandry but also a framework to protect farming communities and preserve rural livelihoods.
In this regard, Nigeria is behind the curve. Countries across Africa, including Kenya and South Africa, have introduced systems of settled ranching, reducing clashes between pastoralists and farmers. The resistance to such reforms in Nigeria appears more political than practical, often inflamed by regional sentiments and manipulated by vested interests. Yet the cost of inaction is rapidly outweighing the perceived benefits of appeasement.
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, elected amid high expectations, must do more than deliver impassioned radio addresses. The enforcement of the state’s Anti-Open Grazing Law, passed in 2017 under former Governor Samuel Ortom, has been inconsistent. While the law marked an important step forward, its implementation has been undermined by a lack of resources, political will, and coordinated support from federal security forces. If the law is to have any impact, it must be backed by legislative reinvigoration, administrative clarity, and visible deterrence.
President Tinubu, for his part, must go beyond rhetoric. He must present a national livestock transformation plan that incentivises ranching, provides support for herders to transition, and integrates modern veterinary, feed, and land management systems. The creation of a national ranching commission, independent of political manipulation and regionally inclusive, could help drive this transition. It would require cross-sector collaboration, including the ministries of agriculture, environment, and internal affairs, and coordination with state governments and traditional rulers.
Moreover, impunity must end. The killings in Benue and similar attacks in Plateau, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and Ondo cannot be treated as mere flashpoints. They are symptomatic of a deeper institutional malaise, one in which security agencies fail to act on intelligence, justice is delayed or denied, and political leaders default to reactive crisis management. The Nigerian Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) must be held to higher standards of intelligence-gathering and rapid response.
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There are broader economic implications as well. The growing insecurity in food-producing regions is already undermining Nigeria’s food security. Prices of staple crops such as maize, yam, and millet have surged in recent months, driven in part by disrupted farming cycles. The World Bank has warned that rural insecurity could push millions more Nigerians into extreme poverty if unaddressed.
Nigeria’s future stability depends in no small measure on resolving this rural crisis. The killing of innocent civilians should never be normalised, nor should political leaders be allowed to treat preventable tragedies as routine. The president must lead from the front, not with condolences but with courage.
The people of Benue, and indeed all Nigerians, do not need more visits or vigils. They need laws that work, policies that protect, and leadership that acts. Ending open grazing is not just a matter of modernisation; it is a matter of survival.
