NEWS RELEASE

BENUE YELEWATA MASSACRE: NATIONAL YOUTH STAKEHOLDERS FORUM DEMANDS PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU TO IMMEDIATELY CALL THE CDS, COAS TO ORDER TO REVIEW AND COMMENCE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL RECRUITED REPENTANTS BOKO HARAM AND SABOTEUR SOLDIERS IN THE ARMED FORCES, CALLS FOR FOREST GUARDS RECRUITMENT.

The Allegations of Sabotage by the CDS Is A Grave Threat to National Security.

The National Youth Stakeholders Forum apex coordinating umbrella body for all Nigerian youths and stakeholders across all the 36 States, FCT and 774 Local Government Area Council of Nigeria, including Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders, Youth and Student organizations, and civil society groups to mention a few, exclusively committed towards the protection of our fundamental rights, absolute welfare, equitable justice, unity, peace and noble development of Nigeria.

We are aghast to raise our concerns over the unmitigated rising spate of insecurity and terrorism incidents especially in the Yelewata Community areas of Benue State, wherein over 200 innocent souls of both young and old were gruesomely massacred by Fulani terrorists under the quest of dreadful invasions, forceful occupation and taking over communities with impunity, necessitating our request to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to step up his decisive action by critically evaluating the crises in Benue and other affected areas in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, insecurity has recently increased monumentally, causing unbearable pains, agony, sorrowful tears and bloody mayhems, while mass murder are being carried out on innocent Nigerians by these well coordinated, sponsored and fully armed Fulani bandits who by no reasons inflicted brutal and murderous killings on a daily basis, consequently this is a new order now tagged as our national trademark insignia.

We demand for full scale emergency martial laws declaration in major terrorists proned areas, while we demand for the arrest and summary execution of anyone found culpable, NO matter how highly placed.

We therefore call on the President to immediately order the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to review and withdraw all recruited repentant Boko Haram or ISIS/ISWAP insurgents soldiers and saboteurs drafted into the Nigerian Army and other security agencies under the guise of repentant terrorists.

This is most ridiculous and embarrassing to be heard of that uneducated killer terrorists are recruited in to the Nigerian Army, while real patriotic Nigerians willing to serve and join the Army and other sister organisations are denied in droves, what a double jeopardy, grave injustice and taint to our democracy.

We further call for an urgent investigation by the Department of State Services, NSA and NIA to arrest all indicted sponsors, senior military officers both serving and retired to face full court martial and summarily executed if found culpable.

We call on the Federal Government to immediately commence recruitment of able body Youths within the affected communities into the forest guards and ensure to implement our proposal for the onward establishment of a National Joint Regional Security Task Force Network Agency (NJRSTFNA) that will assist and work closely with the conventional security agencies in the collective fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria.

The Benue State Massacre and the Alleged Sabotage within Nigeria’s Security Architecture_

The recent massacre in Benue State is a stark reminder of the grave insecurity that continues to plague our nation. The blood of the innocent Nigerians spilt in such horrifying circumstances, demands not only our collective grief but a resolute commitment to justice, accountability, and decisive action.

As we brace for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s visit today 18th June, 2025, Nigerians must confront the disturbing allegations laid bare by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, implicating saboteurs within the Nigerian military and their alleged collaboration with terrorist elements.

As Mr President meets with traditional rulers, political leaders, religious figures, community representatives, and youth groups during his visit, we urge Mr President to listen to the unfiltered voices of the victims. They will tell you what Benue people need is not reconciliation with terrorists but robust security, justice, and the guarantee of their Statutory fundamental human right to life, and freedom to farm on their ancestral lands without fear, intimidation and grievous attacks.

We stand ready to support any initiative that prioritizes these goals and fosters true peace.

For many years communities particularly in Guma, Gwer West, Kwande, Ukum, Agatu and Logo, have endured coordinated assaults by armed Fulani terrorists, consistently identified by survivors as Fulanis.

These dreaded attackers, wielding sophisticated weapons, strike with precision, impunity, slaughtering men, women and children, burning homes, and destroying farmlands unchallenged, while the communities are lefr helpless to die.

The recent massacre in Yelewata, where over 200 lives were lost, is but one in a long series of atrocities. Victims and eyewitnesses have repeatedly affirmed that these are not clashes but one sided acts of terror aimed at dispossessing their ancestral lands.

It is an irony to describe these as “farmers-herders clashes” this is to divert attention, obscure the truth and diminish the gravity of the genocide unfolding in Benue, alongside similar communities suffering under similar circumstances of Fulani terrorists violence and travails.

This revelation is both shocking and unacceptable. It speaks to a systemic rot that threatens the very foundation of Nigeria’s sovereignty and the safety of its citizens.

The complicity of individuals (soldiers) entrusted with the sacred responsibility of defending the nation, if proven true, is not only a betrayal of public trust but an act of treason against the Nigerian state. Such sabotage undermines efforts to combat insurgency, banditry, and terrorism, and it perpetuates the cycle of violence that has left countless communities in despair and abrupt darkness of death.

The Tragedy in Benue: A Humanitarian and Security Crisis

The recent atrocities committed by Killer terrorists in Benue and Plateau are not isolated incidents. They are part of a larger patterns of violence that has destabilized the Middle Belt region and other parts of the country for years.

The people of Benue and Plateau and other bruised people have borne the brunt of herder-farmer conflicts, communal clashes, and terrorist invasions, often with little to no protection from the state.

This latest massacre further raises critical questions and exposes the glaring gaps in Nigeria’s security architecture apparatus and raises critical questions about the efficiency, efficacy and effectiveness of intelligence gathering, coordination among security agencies and the channels of communication with the people, and the readiness of our armed forces to swiftly respond to threats.

The victims of this heinous act are not just statistics; they are mothers, fathers, children, and elders whose lives were brutally cut short. Their deaths are a direct consequence of the failure of governance and security management. It is imperative that this tragedy does not fade into obscurity like so many before it. The time has come for Nigeria to confront the root causes of such violence and hold all perpetrators, both within and outside the system accountable.

General Christopher Musa’s assertion that saboteurs within the military are colluding with terrorists to undermine Nigeria’s security efforts is a damning indictments of the state of our defence institutions, If these allegations are substantiated.

This monumental disaster erroneously revealed a cancerous infiltration of the very structures designed to protect the nation. Such betrayal is not only a moral failing but a strategic vulnerability that compromises the integrity of our armed forces and endangers every Nigerian citizens.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has raised concerns over suspected insider collaboration in the repeated attacks on communities in Benue State.General Musa described the recent massacre in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, as “one killing too many.”

Insiders colourations, we urge the Federal Government to count community members out of it, but the Cohorts and backers are in government, most of whom are politicians, serving and retired Generals to mention a few

The real insiders are repentants terrorists, Bokoharams, and bandits recruited in various armed forces that divulge and pass high level security information to their outside members, sabotaging the efforts of are genuine valued Military men, most of whom have paid the Supreme price of death, some are jailed for defending the nation while terrorists are left to escape. We have records of captured but escaped terrorists; some escaped in the kuje and other prisons, and police custody, while some ongoing investigations and court cases are diffused from the media raider and killed.

Solution is to flush them out if not you are deceiving Nigerians.

We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and 36 State Governors.is to jointly address this allegations with concise and deliberate solutions, and must spur immediate and uncompromising action.

The Nigerian government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must demonstrate zero tolerance beyond mere instructions to service chiefs, for treachery within the ranks of our security agencies must be addressed head on.

A transparent, thorough, and impartial investigation must be launched to identify and prosecute those involved. This process must be shielded from political interference in order to ensure that justice prevails and that the Nigerian people can begin to rebuild their trust in the military and other security agencies inclusive of the Nigeria Police Force.

President Tinubu’s Visit: An Opportunity for Reassurance and Action:

As President Tinubu visits Benue State today, the weight of expectation is immense. The people of Benue, and indeed all Nigerians, will look to him not just for words of solace but for a clear and actionable plan to eliminate the terrorists and equally address the pervasive insecurity in the country.

This visit must mark a turning point in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and internal sabotage.

The President must:
1. Announce Concrete Security Reforms: It is time to overhaul Nigeria’s security architecture. This includes increasing multiple funding for intelligence operations, modernizing military equipment and ensuring better coordination among security agencies.

2. Prioritize the Welfare of Security Personnel: The welfare of our soldiers and police officers must be addressed to prevent disillusionment and susceptibility to corruption or collusion with criminal elements, with a plan for scholarship for their children, free health care and commensurate salaries and package compared to their fellow colleagues in the US Army.

3.Ensure Accountability: Those responsible for the Benue massacre, including any military personnel or public officials found complicit, must be brought to justice swiftly. There can be no sacred cows.

4.Engage in Dialogue and Reconciliation: The President must initiate measures to address the root causes of violence in Benue and other affected areas in Nigeria. This includes resolving the herder-farmer conflicts, tackling land disputes, and promoting inter-community dialogue, through the establishment of the Nigeria Inter-Ethnic Nationalities Peace Commission.

5.Strengthen Regional Cooperation: Nigeria can not tackle terrorism and insurgency alone. Enhanced collaboration with neighbouring countries is essential to curtail the flow of arms, terrorists, and funds across borders.

Our Nation at a Crossroads:

The Benue State massacre and the allegations of military sabotage underscore the urgency of decisive leadership. Nigeria stands at a crossroads. We will rise to the occasion and confront these challenges head-on, or should we allow insecurity and internal betrayal to perpetuate the cycle of violence and instability?

The sacrifices of our fallen compatriots must not be in vain. The time for rhetoric is over; it is now the time for action. Let this tragedy galvanize us into building a Nigeria where every citizen can live in peace and security, free from the fear of violence and betrayal. The responsibility lies with all of us, leaders, security agencies, and citizens alike, to make this vision a reality.

May the souls of those lost in Benue and across the nation rest in peace, and may justice and accountability prevail in our land.

We have emphatically spoken!!!

Long Live Federal Republic of Nigeria !

Long Live National Youth Stakeholders Forum (NYSF).

Signed:

Ambassador Samuel Adegbola, National Secretary General, NYSF.

Mazi Barr Chidiebere Nwodo,
National Publicity Secretary, NYSF.

Ambassador Dogo Shagari, National Chairman, NYSF.

Aare Oladotun Hassan Esq, Founder and National Leader, NYSF

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