By Newspot Nigeria News Desk
The Apostolic Round Table (ART), a prominent civic and faith-based coalition, has issued a strongly worded statement condemning President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s response to the recent mass killings in Benue State, describing his remarks as “dangerously short” of what the situation demands.
In a press release issued on Monday by the group’s convener, Apostle (Dr.) Bolaji O. Akinyemi, ART accused the President of mischaracterizing the deadly attacks as a “communal conflict,” calling instead for the violence to be rightly labeled as genocide against indigenous communities in Benue and across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“What is happening in Benue is not a conflict between communities — it is genocide,” Apostle Akinyemi stated, warning that the President’s comments risked equating victims with their aggressors.
The release, distributed widely to media outlets and published online, came in response to a statement made by President Tinubu via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, @OfficialABAT, on Sunday evening. In his post, the President described the killings as “senseless bloodletting” and called on security agencies to arrest “perpetrators on all sides,” a phrasing ART sharply criticized.
According to the Apostolic Round Table, this language suggests a false equivalence and could embolden attackers who continue to act with impunity.
“Your duty is not to mediate between life and death. It is to defend life,” the statement read, adding that the President’s appeal for “dialogue and reconciliation” was both “tone-deaf” and “ill-timed.”
The group outlined four specific demands to the federal government:
- Immediate military intervention in all affected Benue communities with protection-focused rules of engagement.
- Identification and prosecution of known perpetrators and sponsors of the attacks.
- A national security address from the President outlining a detailed, time-bound plan to halt the violence.
- An end to official statements that blur the line between victims and aggressors.
In its concluding remarks, ART warned that if the killings continued to be met with inaction or mere press statements, the group would mobilize a “nationwide prophetic and civic movement” to demand accountability from the government.
“Benue does not need another committee. Benue needs protection — now,” the statement emphasized.
The ART’s intervention adds to growing criticism from religious leaders, civil society groups, and international observers who have raised alarm over the government’s perceived indifference toward rising violence in Benue and other conflict-prone regions.
Newspot Nigeria will continue monitoring this developing story.
Full Statement by the Apostolic Round Table (ART)
(Dated Monday, 16th June 2025)
GENOCIDE IS NOT COMMUNAL CONFLICT: PRESIDENT TINUBU’S RESPONSE TO BENUE KILLINGS FALLS DANGEROUSLY SHORT
Issued by: Apostle (Dr.) Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Convener, The Apostolic Round TableThe Apostolic Round Table (ART) expresses deep dismay and utter disappointment at the recent statement released by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu via his official X handle, @OfficialABAT, regarding the continued and escalating massacres in Benue State.
While we acknowledge the President’s eventual public attention to what he described as “senseless bloodletting,” we reject in the strongest terms the false framing of the crisis as a communal conflict. What is happening in Benue is not a conflict between communities — it is genocide, perpetrated by well-armed terrorists against indigenous peoples, with the complicity of silence and inaction at the highest levels of power.
The President’s directive to security agencies to “arrest perpetrators on all sides” is an unfortunate mischaracterization that equates invaders with victims, terrorists with communities defending themselves, and criminals with casualties. Such ambiguity is not only irresponsible but also emboldens those who thrive on impunity and bloodshed.
The continued reference to “dialogue and reconciliation” is tone-deaf and ill-timed. You cannot negotiate with killers while they are still holding the machetes. You cannot ask people to reconcile with those who have turned their homes into graveyards.
Mr. President, as Commander-in-Chief, your duty is not to mediate between life and death. It is to defend life. Your response has not only fallen short of your mandate; it reeks of either deep ignorance of the “underlying issues” or a troubling political mischief that sides with neutrality in the face of evil.
We therefore make the following demands:
- Immediate military intervention in all affected Benue communities with clear rules of engagement to protect civilians.
- Public identification and prosecution of known perpetrators and their sponsors.
- A national security address from the President with a detailed and time-bound roadmap to end the genocidal attacks across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
- A halt to further gaslighting and false equivalence in government statements concerning acts of terror.
Benue does not need sympathy. Benue does not need another committee. Benue needs protection — now.
Should this government continue to treat mass murder with press releases instead of action, the Apostolic Round Table will mobilize a nationwide prophetic and civic movement to demand accountability. We will not fold our arms while our people are buried in silence.
History will judge every leader not by the speeches they gave, but by the blood they refused to let spill. Mr. President, it is time to act like the Commander-in-Chief you were elected to be.
Signed,
Apostle (Dr.) Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Convener, The Apostolic Round Table
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