The Tiv Youths Organisation (TYO), Worldwide, has issued a 90-day ultimatum to political aspirants across all party lines, as well as to governments at the local, state and federal levels, to immediately halt the ongoing killings by suspected herdsmen in Benue State.
The warning was given by the Acting President General of the organisation, Comrade Patrick Terfa Angbagh, against the backdrop of persistent attacks, rising death tolls and the continued displacement of Tiv communities across the state. He described the situation as a grave failure of leadership and governance.
Angbagh declared that the blood of Benue people must no longer be treated as a political statistic, stressing that the continuous violence had pushed the people beyond their limits.
“The Tiv people and Benue citizens have endured enough pain, mass burials and empty condolences. If within the next 90 days these killings do not stop, then no aspirant, regardless of party affiliation, should expect to campaign or seek votes in Benue State come 2027,” he said.
The Tiv Youths Organisation warned that political ambition without responsibility to protect human life was unacceptable. It added that youths across the state were prepared to mobilise peacefully to resist any attempt to normalise insecurity or exploit it for electoral advantage.
Angbagh emphasised that security was not a campaign slogan but a constitutional duty, calling on the Federal Government to urgently strengthen intelligence gathering, improve security deployment and ensure accountability within security agencies.
He also urged the Benue State Government to move beyond rhetoric and press statements to concrete, visible action, while tasking local government authorities to take responsibility for grassroots security through community protection measures and effective early warning systems.
According to him, silence, indifference or political manipulation of the crisis would no longer be tolerated, warning that Benue must not be turned into a killing field ahead of future elections.
“Any aspirant who cannot defend the lives of the people has no moral right to ask for their votes,” Angbagh stated.
The Tiv Youths Organisation reaffirmed its commitment to peaceful advocacy, justice and the protection of Tiv ancestral lands. It also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organisations to join forces in demanding urgent and decisive action to end the killings.
“Enough is enough. Benue lives matter,” the organisation declared.
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