Legendary singer, 2Baba Idibia, has condemned the incessant killings and the alarming rate of insecurity in his home state, Benue.
In a video posted online, the singer said his heart is heavy over the repeated k!llings in the state which has now become a ‘’National emergency.”
‘’My heart is heavy, terribly sad, terribly angry! It’s become a national emergency what is going on in my state, Benue state….I can’t wrap my head around it. It’s just business as usual. Condemn the killings but this thing has to stop. This thing has to involve everybody in this country. It is not child’s play. It’s becoming ridiculous. Haba! I don’t even know where to express my sadness, my grief, my anger, my frustration, for this thing to keep happening over and over again..every time it happens we will call on the governor, call on the President…Hab!!! This thing is not funny. It’s not funny anymore. It’s gone beyond condemning. Serious action needs to start to take place.”
Watch a video of 2face speaking below…
Recall that over 100 people were killed by criminal herdsmen in Yelewata, Benue state. The criminals were said to have come in from Nasarawa state. Yelwata is a border town between Nasarawa and Benue states and less than 40 minutes’ drive from Makurdi, the state capital. The attackers invaded the community around 10p.m. on Friday and operated unchallenged till the early hours of Saturday, June 14.
According to reports , the invaders stormed Yelewata in their numbers from two fronts, overpowered the youths and the police personnel who stood up against them and opened fire on defenceless Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who were taking refuge in market stalls and the community members.
While the attack on Yelewata was ongoing, another set of marauders besieged Daudu, in the same Guma LGA.
On Sunday morning, youths from different towns in the state came out en mass to protest the killings. Activist Very Dark Man (VDM) joined in the protest as they went from markets to streets accross Makurdi. Read More.
Similarly, Pope Leo XIV held a special prayer on Sunday for Nigeria, particularly, the victims of the “terrible massacre” in the state.
According to the pontiff, over 100 people were “brutally killed” in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June – most of them internally displaced persons “sheltered by the local Catholic mission”.
Speaking just before delivering the Sunday Angelus prayer, the Pope prayed for “security, justice, and peace” in Nigeria, adding that he was thinking in particular of the “rural Christian communities of the Benue State who have been relentless victims of violence.
“I pray that security, justice and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country so affected by various forms of violence. And I pray especially for the rural Christian communities in Benue State”
