“You Know the Killers!” – Gbillah Slams Tinubu Over Benue Massacre
Former House of Representatives member from Benue State, Mark Gbillah, has come out swinging against President Bola Tinubu, accusing him of either being misinformed or deliberately indifferent to the carnage in Benue State, where over 200 people were recently slaughtered by suspected herdsmen.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show on Monday, Gbillah expressed outrage over the President’s call for reconciliation and dialogue between “warring parties” — a term he strongly rejected, saying there are no two sides at war, only a community under siege.
He described Tinubu’s remarks, conveyed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, as disconnected from reality and dangerously misleading. Tinubu had directed Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, to convene peace meetings and promote “harmonious coexistence” between herders and farmers.
But Gbillah rejected that framing entirely.
“If the President is asking for reconciliation meetings, then it means he knows who the attackers are,” Gbillah declared. “It means the government knows who’s responsible, and that is disingenuous to the real situation. These are not reprisal attacks — these are premeditated, unprovoked massacres.”
He further lambasted Governor Alia for echoing Tinubu’s narrative, suggesting the attacks could be reprisals and that the killers might be entering through Nasarawa’s known herder routes.
Gbillah was visibly emotional as he recounted the silence and inaction of both federal and state authorities after two years of killings across Gwer West, Guma, and other parts of Benue. He condemned the government’s readiness to deploy security against peaceful protesters — including helicopters and dozens of armed personnel — while failing to do the same to confront the killers.
“You can’t beat a child and stop the child from crying,” he said, referencing the brutal police crackdown on protesting Benue youths. “We’ve waited for too long. We’ve given this government the benefit of doubt, but it is clear now that nothing is being done.”
Gbillah urged Tinubu to seek the truth directly from the people instead of relying on sycophants and filtered briefings.
“If you want the truth, Mr. President, ask us. Come down to Benue. Don’t rely on those telling you lies. There’s a war going on in part of your country, and you’re treating it like politics. Enough is enough.”
