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By Oscar Okhifo
Following the recent massacre of over 200 defenseless Nigerians in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, the Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently restructure Nigeria’s failing security architecture.
The Executive Director of CORN, Dr. Timipere Allison, stressed that community-based conflict prevention and sustained federal action are crucial to ending the cycle of violence.
In a statement he signed on Wednesday, personally signed by Dr. Allison and released to the press on Wednesday through CORN’s Director of Communication, Professor Oludayo Tade, the network also demanded immediate trauma counselling and support for survivors and families of the victims, emphasizing that government’s inaction has emboldened non-state actors to continue their reign of terror.
“The ability of non-state actors to terrorize communities with impunity exposes deepening weaknesses in the state’s security apparatus. This climate of lawlessness emboldens perpetrators, who continue to destroy lives and undermine national stability,” Allison noted.
He urged President Tinubu to ensure protection for vulnerable communities across Benue and beyond, while calling for a prompt, transparent investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. The CORN Director further appealed for adequate resource allocation to strengthen the Nigeria Police, Military, and State Security Services for effective response and protection of human life.
CORN West Africa commended all state and non-state actors working to restore peace and stability in the North-Central region of Nigeria.
Providing insights from CORN’s extensive research, Dr. Allison stated: “Our research has shown that the absence of law enforcement in communities creates the conditions for non-state armed groups to carry out these heinous crimes against citizens living in rural areas of the Middle-Belt.
“This calls for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s security architecture. This new structure must include security that is embedded within communities and integrated into the justice system to ensure not only law and order but the rule of law when crimes are committed in rural communities.”
He assured that CORN will continue to collaborate with civil society organisations, community leaders, policymakers, and other stakeholders to promote peace, justice, reconciliation, and the protection of human dignity across Nigeria.
Expressing deep shock over the Yelewata massacre, Dr. Allison stated, “The management and members of Conflict Research Network West Africa (CORN) are deeply shocked by the gruesome killing of at least 150 civilians in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. This senseless attack, one of many in the escalating wave of violence that has ravaged North-Central Nigeria, reveals a catastrophic failure by the government to safeguard its citizens. We unequivocally condemn this heinous act.
“Such atrocities not only target innocent individuals but threaten the collective security and future of the Nigerian state. The brutal killing of children, women, and the elderly, along with the destruction of homes, food supplies, and communal infrastructure, constitutes a gross violation of fundamental human rights and a breach of international humanitarian norms,” he added.