IGP Egbetokun Visits Benue, Orders More Tactical Teams to Curb Violence

 Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun arrived in Benue State on June 16, 2025, to address the escalating violence that has claimed over 200 lives in 2025, ordering the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams to restore peace. 

The visit, prompted by a two-day killing spree in Guma Local Government Area that left at least 45 dead, follows President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security chiefs to implement prior orders. Egbetokun met Governor Hyacinth Alia in Makurdi to coordinate efforts targeting banditry and herder-farmer clashes in Logo, Guma, and Katsina-Ala.

The tactical teams, drawn from the Police Mobile Force and Special Intervention Squad, aim to neutralize armed groups and secure displaced communities, with 6,527 residents in IDP camps. Operation Whirl Stroke, a military-police joint force, has neutralized 200 bandits and destroyed 50 camps since January, but attacks persist, with 30 farmers killed in May. Egbetokun’s deployment includes advanced surveillance drones and armored vehicles, with 500 officers tasked to patrol vulnerable areas. Only 20 arrests have been made in 2025, raising concerns about prosecution delays.

The violence, rooted in land disputes and ethnic tensions, has crippled Benue’s agriculture, with 30% of farmland abandoned, costing N500 billion. Public outrage, amplified by figures like musician 2face Idibia, has fueled demands for a state of emergency, with local leaders estimating deaths could exceed 200 in Guma alone. Egbetokun pledged to prosecute perpetrators and urged communities to provide intelligence, promising protection for informants. The police chief’s visit coincides with Tinubu’s planned trip on June 18, signaling a high-level push to stabilize the region.

Benue’s 1.5 million IDPs since 2015 strain humanitarian resources, with 20 schools closed and 60% of displaced women lacking water access. Egbetokun’s strategy focuses on rapid response and community policing, but analysts warn that without addressing root causes like climate-driven migration, violence will persist. The deployment aims to restore confidence, but residents demand tangible results before returning to their farms, as the crisis tests Nigeria’s security framework.