Benue Massacre Grave Crime Against Humanity, Laments Prof. Joy Ezeilo
Renowned human rights advocate and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (SAN), has condemned the recent mass killings in Benue State, describing the atrocity as a “grave crime against humanity” and calling for urgent justice for the victims.
In a strongly worded statement shared through Daily Post Nigeria, Prof. Ezeilo decried the brutal attacks, which reportedly claimed the lives of over 200 residents in parts of Benue’s Gwer West, Guma, and Logo Local Government Areas.
The killings, widely attributed to suspected herdsmen, have once again spotlighted Nigeria’s escalating security challenges and deepening communal violence.
Prof. Ezeilo, who currently serves as Director of the Women Aid Collective (WACOL), said the government must move beyond condemnation and ensure those behind the carnage are identified, prosecuted, and held accountable.
“This is not just a local tragedy—it is a crime against humanity,” she declared. “Our people cannot continue to live under the threat of death in their own homes. These killings must not go unpunished.”
She criticised the recurring pattern of violence and what she described as a lack of political will to decisively tackle insecurity, adding that the failure to protect vulnerable rural communities was both a national disgrace and a constitutional breach.
Prof. Ezeilo’s comments were not just a call for compassion—they were a call for structured legal response.
By invoking the term “crime against humanity,” she placed the incident within the scope of international legal norms that demand accountability for mass atrocities.
She urged the Nigerian government to work with international bodies where necessary, to ensure justice is not only done, but seen to be done. In her words, “If Nigeria cannot prosecute these crimes adequately, the international community should assist in ensuring justice is served.”
At the time of her statement, the Federal Government had not yet issued a formal response to her remarks, although President Bola Tinubu had reportedly been considering a visit to the affected areas.
Prof. Ezeilo commended such efforts but warned against “symbolic gestures” that are not backed by concrete policy changes or security improvements.
Civil society organizations and victims’ families have also echoed her concerns, describing the attacks as part of a larger pattern of unchecked violence against farming communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Prof. Joy Ezeilo is widely regarded as one of Africa’s foremost experts on human rights, gender justice, and migration issues.
Her condemnation adds significant international weight to calls for justice in Benue and raises the pressure on both federal and state authorities to act swiftly and transparently.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread violence and a struggling justice system, voices like Prof. Ezeilo’s remain vital in holding the nation’s leadership accountable—and in reminding the world that every Nigerian life counts.
