The North Central Peace Advocates (NCPA) says the ongoing violence in Benue is the work of armed insurgents, not herders, as often portrayed.
In a statement on Monday, Frank Utor, coordinator of the group, said the crisis has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced entire communities, yet continues to be misrepresented by authorities.
“The persistent framing of the killings as herder-farmer clashes is false and dangerously misleading,” Utor said.
He argued that the attackers do not rear cattle or engage in any form of pastoralism, but rather steal livestock to fund their operations.
“These killers are not herdsmen. They are foreign-backed armed insurgents operating with a clear agenda to destabilize Benue and the broader North Central,” he said.
Utor added that intelligence and field reports show that the assailants move on motorcycles, carry sophisticated weapons, and retreat to organised camps after attacking villages.
He criticized what he called the government’s failure to properly characterize the attackers, warning that the misdiagnosis has hindered effective security responses.
“Calling terrorists ‘herders’ or ‘bandits’ strips security agencies of the operational clarity needed to tackle the crisis,” he said.
He warned that asking the Benue government to engage the attackers in dialogue was tantamount to surrender.
“Dialogue cannot replace justice. The federal government must identify, pursue, and prosecute those behind the killings,” he said.
Utor also warned that the goal of the sustained violence is to incite lawlessness, discredit the government, and deepen national instability.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
