Benue Traditional Authorities Given 48‑Hour Deadline to Stem Violence by Paramount Ruler

Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa

The paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, also known as the Tor Tiv, has issued a firm two‑day ultimatum to traditional rulers in Benue State to take decisive action against armed groups and violent actors responsible for widespread insecurity in rural communities across the central Nigerian state. His directive, announced this week from the Tiv Area Traditional Council in Gboko, reflects escalating frustration among local leaders over protracted violence and mass displacement that has been affecting Benue’s farmers and villagers for years. 

Professor Ayatse’s ultimatum specifically targets traditional leaders in Konshisha and Gwer East Local Government Areas, regions that have seen persistent attacks on villages, killings of civilians, destruction of property, and displacement of local populations. Ayatse has tasked these chiefs with identifying and driving out criminal elements, including armed herders, bandits and other violent groups operating under the guise of nomadic pastoralism, and warned that failure to do so within 48 hours would compel further action by the traditional council itself.

The ultimatum comes against the backdrop of a years‑long security crisis in Benue State and the broader Middle Belt region, where rural communities have increasingly fallen victim to raids and assaults attributed to a mix of armed herders, bandits and extremist groups. The traditional ruler’s intervention follows repeated appeals to state and federal authorities to address what he and many local stakeholders regard as a deteriorating humanitarian situation. 

In public statements over the past year, the Tor Tiv has sought to refract the evolving violence not merely as episodic clashes between farmers and herders, but as a more organised, systematic and prolonged campaign of attacks targeting Tiv communities. At a high‑level stakeholders’ meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Makurdi, Professor Ayatse characterised the killings and raids as a calculated invasion and “land‑grabbing” strategy rather than routine communal disputes, warning that misdiagnosis of the crisis would hinder effective responses. 

Benue State has seen some of the most intense episodes of violence in recent years. Notwithstanding efforts by security forces, communities in Guma, Logo, Oju and Makurdi areas have reported attacks leading to dozens of deaths, destruction of homes and displacement of thousands of residents. These incidents have drawn attention from human rights groups and regional civil society, who describe a complex pattern of violence that has disrupted agriculture, undermined food security and left many communities facing chronic insecurity.

The tor Tiv’s ultimatum to traditional rulers also resonates with earlier directives issued by the Tiv Area Traditional Council in May 2025, when a separate 14‑day quit notice was extended to nomadic herders and suspected terrorists operating within Benue, demanding that they vacate ancestral farmlands due to ongoing aggression and occupation. That directive, seen by many residents as a response to persistent attacks on villagers and land disputes, underscored the heightened tensions between indigenous agrarian communities and armed pastoralist groups over land use and security. 

Local leaders and civil society have generally supported the Tor Tiv’s actions, viewing the ultimatum as a necessary push to compel traditional and community authorities to escalate their roles in maintaining peace and security. They argue that chiefs and community councils, given their proximity to grassroots populations and customary influence, must complement formal security operations by engaging with and holding to account disruptive elements within their domains. 

However, analysts caution that while traditional directives can galvanise local responses, sustainable peace in Benue will require coordinated efforts among multiple stakeholders, including state and federal security agencies, civil society, farmers’ associations and community organisations. Long‑standing drivers of violence—such as competition over land and resources, weak law enforcement presence, and porous regional borders—cannot be resolved solely through ultimatums, even if they signal serious commitment by traditional authorities. 

Benue’s situation reflects broader security challenges across parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where farming communities face recurring threats from armed groups and where narratives of conflict continue to evolve beyond simple labels of “herder‑farmer clashes.” Government efforts, including presidential visits and directives to security chiefs to apprehend armed actors, have made some progress, but many local residents still report insecurity and express concerns over food production and safe resettlement.

The Tor Tiv’s ultimatum underscores a widening recognition among traditional institutions that active engagement is necessary where state responses have struggled to contain violence. As the 48‑hour deadline approaches, all eyes are on Benue’s traditional councils to demonstrate concrete steps taken to disarm and repatriate criminal elements accused of destabilising rural communities. The outcome of this traditional intervention may influence broader strategies for peacebuilding and civilian protection in the months ahead.

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