TIV ELITES DEMAND JUSTICE FOR YELWATA MASSACRE, URGE PROSECUTION OF SPONSORS BEHIND HERDSMEN ATTACKS

The massacre of over 200 persons in Yelwata, Benue State, by suspected militia herdsmen has sparked outrage among Tiv intellectuals and professionals under the Abuja-based Club De Pals, who are now demanding urgent prosecution of both attackers and their alleged sponsors.
In a press release signed by its BoT President, Richard Nduul, and Secretary-General, Robert Unde, the group described the June 13 bloodbath as a “deliberate act of genocide” aimed at displacing Tiv communities from their ancestral lands.
The coordinated attack—marked by mass shootings, arson, and pursuit of fleeing residents—was labeled by the group as the latest in a broader campaign spanning 14 local government areas.
Club De Pals praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his condolence visit and directive for arrests. However, they warned that justice must not stop with foot soldiers. “Thorough investigations must be conducted to unmask the financiers and enablers of these attacks,” the group demanded.
They also called for community-based vigilante surveillance, urging local stakeholders to partner with traditional leaders and legal authorities to forestall future attacks.
Cautioning that weak security responses could signal state failure, the association urged urgent national action to halt the cycle of violence in the Middle Belt and elsewhere.