The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD), a human rights advocacy organization, has strongly condemned the ongoing genocidal attacks and violent land grabbing in Benue State, describing the situation as both a humanitarian crisis and a gross violation of human rights.
In a statement issued on Monday, FENRAD's Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, highlighted that communities in Guma, Logo, Agatu, and other local government areas have faced sustained attacks by suspected armed herders and militia groups.
"FENRAD views this as an act of environmental and cultural genocide, where communities are stripped not only of their homes and means of livelihood but also of their ancestral ties to the land, which holds historical, spiritual, and economic significance," the statement read.
Systematic Violence and Displacement
According to FENRAD, the attacks appear to be systematic and aimed at forcefully displacing indigenous populations to seize their lands for occupation and control. The violence has resulted in the loss of innocent lives, displacement of thousands, and destruction of ancestral farmlands and homes.
The organization expressed deep concern over what it described as the failure of security agencies and the federal government to decisively address the situation, noting that despite repeated appeals from affected communities, faith leaders, civil society organizations, and international observers, adequate protection and justice for victims remain elusive.
Demands for Immediate Action
FENRAD has put forward several demands, including:
Immediate and strategic deployment of security forces to protect vulnerable communities
An independent judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the killings and hold perpetrators accountable
Restoration and protection of displaced persons through coordinated state and federal intervention
Protection of ancestral lands from illegal occupation
A National Policy on Internal Displacement and Land Use to address recurring land conflicts
"The Federal Government must recognize that failure to act is complicity. Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy when certain groups are allowed to be exterminated silently and dispossessed of their land without consequence," the statement emphasized.
FENRAD has called on the National Human Rights Commission, civil society organizations, traditional rulers, and the international community to speak out and demand justice for the people of Benue state, concluding with the powerful statement: "Silence is no longer an option. Enough is enough. The killings must stop."
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