Benue killings critic VeryDarkMan slams President Tinubu’s call for dialogue with herdsmen after 200 villagers were burned alive in Guma LGA
The killings, which occurred in the Yelwata community of Guma Local Government Area, saw entire families burned alive in an attack widely attributed to armed herdsmen. The event has drawn international condemnation and renewed domestic outrage.
Following the attack, Pope Leo was among the first to publicly speak out, describing the incident as a “terrible massacre” and urging that justice be served.
However, President Tinubu’s official response—urging the Benue State government to initiate a process of dialogue and reconciliation with the attackers—has been met with fierce criticism.
Popular online activist VeryDarkMan, who recently visited the affected community, argued that the President’s call for talks was not only misplaced but dangerously naive. According to him, such a gesture signals state weakness in the face of growing lawlessness.
He declared, “You want to dialogue with those that are burning people alive. This tells you they are even bigger than the President.” He questioned the sincerity of the security agencies, insisting that senior officials were fully aware of the operations and logistics behind the attack.
He also criticised the apparent indifference shown by the public and media until he personally shared video footage from the scene. “The killing of 200 people just passed like that. It didn’t trend, and no one talked about it. That’s what scares me most,” he said.
In a statement that has ignited further public discussion, VeryDarkMan claimed the herdsmen are “way bigger than the President, bigger than APC, PDP, and everybody.” He implied that there is a level of complicity or helplessness within the nation’s highest security and intelligence ranks.
He expressed disbelief at the silence and inaction from top officials, asking rhetorically how armed assailants carrying gallons of fuel and assault rifles could have entered the village undetected. “Where did all those with gallons of fuel pass through? Not just that, they had AKs with them,” he noted.
Joining a protest in Makurdi with Benue youths on Sunday, the activist called for community self-defence, encouraging licensed firearm ownership among farmers, citing the state’s deteriorating security landscape.
With national outrage swelling and pressure mounting on government institutions, many are now questioning whether dialogue with violent groups can bring peace, or whether it simply signals surrender to terror.
