IPOB Condemns Benue Massacre, Says Blood of the Dead Crying Out
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has reacted with deep outrage to the recent mass killings in Benue State, where suspected armed herdsmen slaughtered over 100 residents in a violent rampage.
In a strongly worded statement, the separatist group declared that the “blood of the people killed in Benue is crying out,” signaling a call for justice and national reckoning.
The deadly attack occurred in Yelewata, a community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, over the weekend.
According to reports from Amnesty International and eyewitnesses, dozens of heavily armed assailants descended on the village and surrounding settlements, setting fire to homes and markets, and killing civilians indiscriminately.
Some victims were reportedly burned alive, and many others died from gunshot and machete wounds.
While no group has officially claimed responsibility, survivors and local security officials suspect that Fulani herdsmen were behind the massacre, which is part of a long-running conflict between herders and farming communities in the Middle Belt region.
IPOB, which advocates for the secession of southeastern Nigeria, condemned the killings in a statement signed by its media and publicity secretary.
The group described the attack as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing and accused the Nigerian government of turning a blind eye to the ongoing violence.
“The blood of the innocent slaughtered in Benue is crying out,” IPOB declared. “We mourn with the families who have lost loved ones and condemn in totality the silence of the Nigerian government in the face of these atrocities.”
The statement also accused federal authorities of failing to protect lives and property in regions outside the North, particularly when non-Muslim communities are affected.
In the wake of the attack, President Bola Tinubu described the killings as “senseless bloodletting” and vowed that security agencies would track down the perpetrators. However, civil society groups, including Amnesty International, have criticized what they call the government’s weak response to recurring violence in the region.
Benue State has long been one of Nigeria’s most troubled flashpoints in the herder-farmer conflict, which is rooted in disputes over land, water, and grazing routes. Despite several peace initiatives and the deployment of security forces, the crisis has persisted, leaving thousands dead and displaced over the years.
IPOB’s intervention in this case, though unusual given its focus on the southeast, reflects growing concern across Nigeria’s regions over escalating insecurity and the federal government’s ability—or willingness—to address it.
