The Benue crisis in June 2025 reached a tragic peak with a brutal attack in Yelewata community, Guma Local Government Area, where over 100 people were killed by gunmen during a late-night assault.
The attack, which lasted several hours from Friday night into early Saturday, involved the assailants splitting into groups to storm the police station and move house to house, killing residents and burning homes and farmlands.
Victims included entire families, with reports of up to 40 people killed in a single house and some families losing as many as 15 members. The violence also destroyed significant food supplies, threatening food security in the region.
This massacre is part of a broader pattern of violence in Benue State, a flashpoint in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where conflicts between farmers and herders have escalated over land and water resources, often exacerbated by ethnic and religious tensions.
Since 2019, such violence has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced thousands. The recent attack has displaced over 6,500 people, including vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and the elderly, creating a severe humanitarian crisis.
Rescue and recovery operations continue amid ongoing insecurity, with casualties still being confirmed.
The Nigerian government has responded with condemnation and plans for intervention.
President Bola Tinubu rescheduled an official visit to Kaduna to instead visit Benue on June 18, 2025, to assess the situation and engage with stakeholders, including traditional rulers, political leaders, and youth groups.
Before his visit, top security officials and government representatives were dispatched to the state to coordinate efforts to restore peace and security.
The government faces immense pressure to address the recurring violence and protect citizens from further attacks.
From a legal perspective, the right to life is a fundamental human right enshrined in Section 33 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.
This provision explicitly prohibits the unlawful deprivation of life except under constitutionally sanctioned circumstances such as the lawful execution of a court sentence or self-defense.
The right to life is foundational within Nigeria’s human rights framework, and Nigerian courts have interpreted it to protect individuals from arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial executions.
However, the crisis in Benue highlights challenges in enforcing this constitutional right.
Extrajudicial killings by non-state actors such as armed herdsmen and terrorist groups, as well as occasional abuses by state security forces, represent grave violations of the right to life.
The Nigerian state has a positive duty not only to refrain from unlawful killings but also to protect citizens by preventing violence and ensuring security.
Failure to do so undermines the constitutional guarantee and erodes public trust in the rule of law.
The Benue killings underscore the urgent need for effective legal and institutional mechanisms to safeguard the right to life.
This includes improving security responses, holding perpetrators accountable, and addressing root causes of conflict, such as land disputes and ethnic tensions.
The law’s perspective on the right to life extends beyond prohibiting killing to imposing a positive obligation on the government to create conditions that preserve life and dignity.
Judicial interpretations are increasingly calling for a broader understanding that includes protection from impending death and ensuring citizens’ safety.
In conclusion, the June 2025 Benue massacre is a stark reminder of the fragility of the right to life in conflict zones within Nigeria.
The constitutional right to life demands both protection from unlawful killing and proactive measures by the state to prevent such atrocities.
The government’s response, including President Tinubu’s visit and deployment of security forces, is critical but must be part of a sustained effort to restore peace, enforce the law, and uphold human rights.
Without such comprehensive action, the cycle of violence and violation of the right to life will likely continue, with devastating consequences for Benue and Nigeria as a whole.