From Winnie Onu, Makurdi
The Forum of Ayatutu Professors (FAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action against persistent mass killings in Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna, warning that the country’s sovereignty is under threat from unchecked terrorism.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Tor Joe Iorapuu, and Secretary, Simon Verlumun Irtwange, the forum expressed solidarity with Professor Zacharys Anger Gundu over his recent comments at a Benue State town hall meeting, which drew a court threat from Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule.
FAP argued that Gundu spoke the truth about cross-border attacks and the lack of effective government response.
The professors accused the Federal Government of failing to develop and enforce a deliberate strategy to secure Nigeria’s borders and protect citizens from “organized mass atrocities” that have left communities across the Middle Belt devastated.
They cited the June 13 and 14 massacre in Yelewata, Guma LGA of Benue State, where over 200 people were killed despite the presence of security forces in the area.
“It is not just about the Tiv or Benue; the country is under siege. No state can claim innocence while its borders become bridges for terror; sovereignty is a shield for peace, not a sanctuary for lawlessness,” the statement read.
FAP urged the Federal and State Governments to strengthen border security, compensate victims, include affected states in the national humanitarian response plan, and support the establishment of state police.
They also called for improved relations between Benue and Nasarawa governments, saying both states must be “real friends” in tackling security challenges.
The forum further appealed to international agencies to investigate what it described as “deliberate annihilation” in Central Nigeria, insisting that the scale and persistence of the killings amount to genocide.
