President Bola Tinubu has invited Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia to Abuja over the killings of scores of residents of Yelewata in the state.
Tinubu invited the governor while addressing stakeholders at the Government House in Markudi, the capital of Benue State, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
Advising Alia on the importance of stakeholder management for peaceful and progressive governance, the president urged the governor to set up a peace committee in Benue State that will include former governors, elders, traditional rulers, federal government officials, and non-indigenes living in the state.
“Let us meet again in Abuja. Let’s fashion out a framework for lasting peace. I am ready to invest in that peace. I assure you, we will find peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity,” he said.
Tinubu urged Alia to allocate land for ranching and directed the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to follow up.
He called for blood donations to support the injured residents receiving treatment at the Benue State Teaching Hospital, where he had earlier visited victims and medical staff.
While underscoring the importance of peace for sustainable development, Tinubu implored the governor to ensure Benue State is peaceful, adding that the circumstances of his visit this time should not have been a reason to visit.
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Tinubu added: “I wanted to come here to commission projects, to reassure you of hope and prosperity, not to see gloomy faces. But peace is vital to development.
“The value of human life is greater than that of a cow. We were elected to govern, not to bury people.”
In his remarks, Alia appealed to the federal government to establish a Special Intervention Fund for communities affected by repeated violent attacks across Benue State.
Governor Alia said the fund would support the rehabilitation of displaced persons, reconstruction of destroyed homes and infrastructure, and the restoration of livelihoods, especially for farmers.
He reiterated his support for establishing state police as a lasting solution to insecurity.
The governor also pledged his administration’s full commitment to building a safe, stable, and prosperous Benue State.
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