Issued by: Apostle (Dr.) Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Convener, The Apostolic Round Table
The Apostolic Round Table (ART) has expressed deep concern and disappointment over President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent statement on the ongoing killings in Benue State.
In a strongly worded release, ART condemned the President’s description of the atrocities as “senseless bloodletting” and a “communal conflict,” insisting that the crisis is nothing short of genocide. The group accused the administration of downplaying the systematic killings of indigenous communities by well-armed terrorists.
“This is not a conflict between communities,” the statement read. “It is genocide, carried out by terrorists with the silence and inaction of those in authority.”
The ART criticized the President’s call for the arrest of “perpetrators on all sides,” saying it creates a dangerous false equivalence between aggressors and victims.
“Equating terrorists with self-defending communities is not only misleading but emboldens those who profit from chaos and bloodshed,” it stated.
According to ART, the continuous appeals for dialogue and reconciliation are both ill-timed and insensitive.
“You cannot call for reconciliation while the killers still hold machetes. You cannot ask the grieving to embrace those who have turned their homes into mass graves,” the group asserted.
The statement further called on President Tinubu to rise to the demands of his office as Commander-in-Chief.
“Your role is not to mediate between life and death, but to defend life. This crisis requires action, not ambiguous press releases. Your response so far is either rooted in ignorance or dangerous political neutrality in the face of evil.”
ART listed the following demands:
1. Immediate military deployment to affected Benue communities, with a clear mandate to protect civilians.
2. Public identification and prosecution of known attackers and their sponsors.
3. A televised national security address from the President outlining a time-bound plan to stop the Middle Belt massacres.
4. An end to official narratives that equate victims with terrorists.
The group warned that if the government continues to offer platitudes in place of protection, it would mobilize a nationwide prophetic and civic movement to demand real accountability.
“Benue doesn’t need sympathy. It needs protection. Now,” the statement concluded. “History will remember not just what leaders said, but what they allowed to happen. Mr. President, it is time to act like the Commander-in-Chief you were elected to be.”
Signed:
Apostle (Dr.) Bolaji O. Akinyemi
Convener, The Apostolic Round Table
