ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — President Bola Tinubu will travel to Benue State on Wednesday to address the escalating violence that has claimed hundreds of lives, the presidency announced Monday, shifting his previously scheduled official visit to Kaduna State.
The change in itinerary underscores growing concern over the recent massacre in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area, where more than 200 people — mostly displaced Christians — were killed in a brutal overnight raid.
“President Bola Tinubu has rescheduled his official visit to Kaduna State. Instead, he will travel to Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address the persistent conflict affecting communities in the state,” said Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.
The president is expected to meet with traditional rulers, political and religious leaders, and youth representatives during a town hall in Benue to “seek lasting solutions to the hostilities,” Onanuga said in a statement shared on social media.
In advance of the visit, Tinubu dispatched several top officials to the state, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees.
The president had been scheduled to commission infrastructure projects in Kaduna on Wednesday, but the visit will now take place a day later, on Thursday, June 19.
Tinubu has previously condemned the killings and urged residents to “embrace peace, love, and mutual understanding,” offering condolences to the families of victims and communities affected by the crisis.
Benue State, a region at the epicenter of Nigeria’s Middle Belt conflicts, has long suffered from violent clashes between armed herders and farming communities, often along religious and ethnic lines. The latest massacre has drawn international attention and calls for urgent action, including condemnation from Pope Leo XIV.
Editor: Gabriel Ani
