Outrage as Benue Governor Joins Tinubu in Brazil Despite Recent Massacre and Insecurity

Despite ongoing violence and humanitarian crises in Benue State, the state’s Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has sparked national outrage by attending the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, alongside President Bola Tinubu. The Governor’s announcement, boasting of his participation in a “high-level bilateral meeting” with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has drawn heavy criticism from citizens who accuse both leaders of abandoning urgent domestic responsibilities for foreign publicity.

The timing of the trip has particularly infuriated Nigerians. Just weeks ago, suspected armed herders carried out one of the deadliest massacres in recent history in Benue State, killing over 200 residents in the Yelewata community and displacing hundreds more. Relief efforts remain inadequate, and local communities continue to live in fear as security presence remains minimal.

President Tinubu, who also travelled to Brazil for the summit, has been criticised for his response to the killings. Rather than a decisive security operation or national address, the President has urged Governor Alia to “engage in dialogue” with the attackers, an approach widely condemned as tone-deaf and dangerous.

The administration’s strategy appears more focused on image-building and foreign investment talks than on solving the country’s worsening security crisis.

At the summit, President Tinubu discussed agricultural reforms and energy collaboration with Brazilian officials, while Governor Alia echoed similar messages about the importance of “international cooperation.” Such discussions are, however, hollow when core governance, security, justice, and local development are lacking at home.

If they can’t secure lives, they have no business flying to foreign summits. Nigeria’s credibility starts at home.

In Benue, anger continues to mount. Victims’ families, displaced persons, and traditional leaders have demanded more than “committees and talks.” Many see the international trip as an insult to their suffering.

So far, neither the Presidency nor the Benue State Government has issued a public apology or visited the Yelewata community in person since the attack. Calls for a full-scale security operation and independent investigation remain unanswered.

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