Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s recent visit to Benue State, describing it as tone-deaf and politically performative in the wake of a devastating massacre that claimed over 200 lives.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Farotimi expressed outrage over what he called the president’s “unfeeling” demeanor during his visit to Makurdi. “It would have been better if the president didn’t go,” Farotimi stated, lamenting that Tinubu’s remarks lacked empathy and instead resembled a campaign rally.
The visit came after weeks of relentless attacks by suspected herdsmen across Benue communities, culminating in a particularly brutal assault in Yelewata that left scores dead and thousands displaced. While the government officially acknowledged 59 deaths, civil rights groups and local leaders estimate the toll to be over 200.
Farotimi praised the Tor Tiv V, His Royal Majesty James Ayatse, for his candid remarks during the stakeholders’ town hall meeting, where the monarch described the violence as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign.”
“The president’s visit offered little more than political theater,” Farotimi added. “The lives lost were mentioned only in passing. It felt like they went to dance on the graves of the victims.”