The senate reduces the benut massacre, demanding urgent action: “We are tired of mourning

After another tragic mass murder in the state of Benue, where around 200 villagers were slaughtered in Yelewata, the Guma regional government on Friday, June 13, 2025, the Nigerian Senate had stated that the country had reached the peak point and had to switch from mourning to action.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chairperson of the Senate Committee for the media and public affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South), expressed deep sadness of the incident and called for an urgent approach and included the public to handle the security crisis.

“We are tired of mourning. The time has arrived. Security is local, and local residents must be part of the solution,” Adaramodu said. “With the support of Mr. President, the Senate and the Parliament have taken adequate funds to support military and security agents. Together with the authorities and traditional communities, we must stop this bloodshed.”

Adaramodu announced that the President of the Tinubu soccer would visit the benue on Wednesday as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to end the bloodshed. The visit, he said, would include a delegation of senators who would join the President to sympathize with the victims and assess the security situation directly.

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“The visit tomorrow to Benue will indicate that the government is serious – both legislative and executive. When we hold a national security summit, we hope to reveal hidden problems and find eternal solutions for the murder of innocent Nigerians, not only in the benings or highlands, but throughout the country,” he added.

In addition to the planned security summit, the Adaramodu Senator emphasized that the Senate was trying to involve civil society, youth groups, women, and the media in national conversations about security. “We cannot continue to switch from the highlands to Benue, paying condolences. Enough is enough,” he said.

Handling questions about emergency rules that were recently stated in the Rivers State and the closed voting process that followed, Adaramodu defended the Senate procedure.

“Regarding the emergency rules: there is communication from Mr. President on June 12, it has been read. And we follow the procedure. When it comes to sensitive issues such as security, our stand orders say such things must be debated in a closed session 131, 132, and 134. After the decision is reached in a closed session, it cannot be reopened in the plenary,” he said.

He continued, “Everyone is now a member of parliament, a lawyer, coach, questioning what they do not know. But the rules are clear. During the closed session, we debated for three to four hours. After the agreement was reached, it was final. The chairman then returned to the plenary and asked the question: ‘Do we emphasize what was agreed in the closed session?’ Everyone said, ‘Yes.’ Nobody said ‘No.’ That’s where it ends. “

Regarding criticism of senate working hours and holidays, Adaramodu clarifies that the National Assembly has exceeded its constitutional requirements to sit for at least 181 days a year. “In the Senate, we sat more than that. We fulfilled a milestone. Our vacation fell only during public holidays or legal legislative breaks,” he said.

He also discussed legislative productivity, noted that “In the last twenty-four months, 844 bills were received. Twenty-five became the law after the President’s approval, 400 reached the second reading, 200 was read for the first time, and 107 was at the conference committee stage.”

Explaining the legislative process, Adaramodu noted, “We now have a committee with the two rooms. After harmonization and legal review, the president of the senate and the Speaker of the DPR signed the final document before sending them to the President to ask for approval.”

In the recent gathering promise made by the President and read in a non-Pleno session, Adaramodu defended the senate procedure. “Our rules allow us to suspend the process to take important problems. A motion can be moved and seconded for this purpose,” he explained.

Commenting on the legislative power in the investigation, he emphasized, “Our task is to make a resolution, not to uphold the arrest. We do not have the power to put the rope in the neck of an officer who is wrong – we highlight the problem and expect actions to be followed.”

Reflecting the investigation of past administration, the Senate spokesman stated, “Some of the violations being investigated are now carried out by the government of the past. For example, we find hidden debts that harm our economy. But the government is currently recognizing and starting to repair it. That is why we do not need to bring coal to Newcastle.”

When Benue mourned the other mass killings, the Senate Message was clear: The time for a reactive condolence was over. The national shift towards a proactive security solution and led by the community is ongoing.