Outrage as Benue Declares Holiday to Welcome President Tinubu Amid Mass Killings and Widespread Mourning

 

Shock and disbelief have gripped many citizens and observers across Nigeria as the Benue State Government declared Wednesday, June 18, 2025, a public holiday—not to mourn the over 200 lives lost in recent violent attacks—but to welcome President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on a condolence visit.

At a time when entire communities are grieving, families are still burying their dead, and hundreds remain displaced from brutal massacres, the state government’s decision to treat the President’s arrival as a moment of celebration has sparked outrage. Instead of a solemn reflection or a day of mourning, the people are being asked to line the streets in honor of the President's motorcade.

The announcement came via a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Serumun Deborah Aber, who described the holiday as an opportunity for residents to “receive the President warmly.” The statement emphasized the symbolic significance of the visit but failed to acknowledge the raw grief that still hangs heavily over the state.

Citizens have taken to social media and community forums expressing dismay at what many are calling a tone-deaf move. Rather than organizing trauma counseling, providing humanitarian relief, or focusing on bolstering local security, the government is urging crowds to gather and “celebrate” the President’s arrival—a gesture many feel mocks the scale of the tragedy that has recently unfolded.

Dozens of communities, particularly in the Gwer, Logo, and Guma Local Government Areas, have been devastated by coordinated attacks believed to be carried out by armed herders and militias. Houses have been razed, families wiped out, and farmlands destroyed. Survivors are either in hiding or packed into overcrowded IDP camps, relying on scarce aid. The official death toll has surpassed 200, with some estimates suggesting even higher numbers.

“It’s insulting,” said Terhemba Igbe, a local teacher who lost two siblings in the attacks. “We’re still pulling bodies out of the bushes, and the government wants us to wear clean clothes and wave flags?”

The President’s visit, according to the statement, is intended to express condolences and assess the situation firsthand. However, critics argue that the optics of declaring a holiday and orchestrating a public welcome border on performative politics. While the visit itself may be welcomed, many feel the state's approach is deeply inappropriate given the gravity of the situation.

Essential services—such as hospitals, security agencies, and banking institutions—have been exempted from the holiday. Still, schools, markets, and public offices will be shut down, and residents are being asked to "come out in large numbers" to welcome the President.

Questions are being raised about the prioritization of image over impact. Local activists have accused the government of staging a political show instead of confronting the harsh realities faced by citizens. There is growing frustration that the federal response to the crisis has been sluggish, and that this visit is too little, too late.

“The President should be meeting families in mourning, not waving to cheering crowds,” said Rhoda Ula, a community nurse working in an IDP camp outside Makurdi. “This is not a time for fanfare. It’s a time for accountability and action.”

Security is being heavily tightened ahead of the President’s arrival. Meanwhile, thousands remain without homes, and many more are grappling with trauma, hunger, and fear. Analysts warn that unless the visit results in a concrete, long-term strategy for ending violence in the state, it will be remembered not as a gesture of empathy, but as a political spectacle staged against the backdrop of mass graves.

As Wednesday approaches, the mood in Benue is not one of anticipation but of bitter contrast—between those in power and the people they claim to serve. 

APC is treating his visit to Benue as one of his achievements in two years. They told Benue women to wear asoebi & line up to welcome him. They declared a public holiday as well. 😭 pic.twitter.com/lJWjn2Nz0n

— NEFERTITI (@firstladyship) June 17, 2025