President Bola Tinubu has scrapped his planned Kaduna trip to visit Benue State on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, following Pope Leo XIV’s condemnation of the Benue killings that left over 200 dead.
The President’s visit comes after an initial prolonged silence on the violence that broke out in the North Central State, with renewed wave of attacks.
Meanwhile, a statement released by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that Tinubu will visit Benue on Wednesday.
It was gathered that the President’s visit is to tackle the Benue killings crisis that has claimed hundreds of lives in the North-Central state.
“The President’s visit aims to assess firsthand the recurring crisis that has claimed numerous lives and caused significant destruction,” Onanuga stated.
According to him, Tinubu was scheduled to visit Kaduna State on Wednesday to commission various state government projects.
However, the official visit will now occur on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Onanuga added that during his stay, Tinubu will meet with all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups, to seek lasting solutions to the hostilities.
“In preparation for the visit, President Tinubu has already dispatched the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and the Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees to Benue State.“
The President is expected to hold a town hall meeting with all stakeholders during the visit,” the statement added.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this comes after over 200 people, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), five security personnel, women, children, and community members, were killed in an attack by suspected herdsmen on Yelewata and Daudu communities in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to the reports, the attackers stormed Yelewata in the midnight of Friday, overpowering police and youth defenders before unleashing violence on defenceless IDPs in market stalls and nearby homes.
Several houses and market stalls were set ablaze after being doused with petrol. Many victims, some described as toddlers, were reportedly “slaughtered like animals.”
After the killings, Pope Leo delivered a powerful rebuke from the Vatican, decrying the “terrible massacre” of mostly displaced persons sheltered by a Catholic mission.
