Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has stated that President Bola Tinubu’s visit to Benue State would have been more meaningful had he shown genuine concern for the suffering of its residents, suggesting it might have been better if the visit had not occurred at all.
During an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Farotimi emphasized that the only significant remarks made during the visit came from the Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse.
According to Farotimi, Ayatse described the attacks as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits.”
“I must say very quickly that it would have been better if the president didn’t go.
“The only thing worthy of anybody’s time was the words of the Tor Tiv, who spoke extensively to the reality of the situation in the Benue Trough and spoke eloquently to the pains of the victims.
“Other than that, all the president had to offer were mere windows into his preoccupation and what truly concerns his aides and assistants,” Farotimi stated.
NewsClick Nigeria earlier reported that President Tinubu visited Benue on Wednesday in response to the escalating violence in the state.
The visit followed a series of deadly attacks in Guma Local Government Area, where over 200 residents were recently killed by suspected herdsmen, sparking national outrage.