IGP EGBETOKUN directs the tactical unit to the benue amid the increase in violence

Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun arrived in the state of Benue on Monday to oversee efforts to overcome the increase in violence and restore security, following a wave of deadly attacks by alleged shepherds that had made more than 160 people killed in various communities.

Wearing a full uniform, Egbetokun landed in Makurdi, immediately deploying the tactical police unit to the problematic area. The statement from the Nigerian police confirmed the intensification of security operations.

“IGP arrived in the ben, an order to spread the additional tactical team,” the police message rang.

In recent weeks, the state of the benue has experienced a surge in bloodshed:

• More than 160 residents were killed in coordinated night attacks in various communities.
• Friday attacks resulted in a number of victims and forced mass transfer.
• Public alarm increased after dozens of lived lives in the Guma Regional Government, encouraging environmental protests

Governor of Hyacinth Alia, who spoke before, warned that the people who had been surrounded had shrunk from 17 LGA to only three, a shift he praised for federal security support.

Following the President’s instructions, the security agency implemented an intensive response strategy to reduce further violence and ask for the perpetrators’ accountability.

Spokesman President Bayo Onanuga said: “The latest news about naughty murder in the state of Benue is very sad. We must not let this bloodshed continue … I have directed security agents to act firmly and arrest the perpetrators … demand them.”

Also read: Edo Gov, Okpebholo, Mandate Divine Fuels War Against Cultism

President Tinubu also urged Governor Alia to pioneer reconciliation meetings among farmers, shepherds, and community leaders, efforts aimed at dealing with resource -based tensions and land that had long existed.

With the installation of public protests, including calls on social media for emergencies, the distribution of IGP tactical units offers changes that are seen in law enforcement posture.

Police Commissioner Ifeiri Emenari confirmed: “IG has taken over the security of the Benue state. Special forces are on land, and more will come. … They will go wherever the bandits are and get it.”

These forces, he convinced, will aggressively pursue those who are responsible, even in the midst of the protest of the community which includes blocking the main paths with expressive resistance to sustainable murder.

Benue violence reflects a broader rural security crisis throughout North-Central Nigeria, where competition for land and nomadic shepherd water holes on the agrarian community. Combining this, militant groups have exploited this local conflict, triggering weapons proliferation and deepening insecurity.