IZUNNA OKAFOR
The United Business Women Association has extended heartfelt condolences to the people and families of the victims of the recent mass killings in Benue State, expressing solidarity with women across Nigeria as they collectively mourn yet another national tragedy.
The Founder of the Association, Mrs. Nkiru Duru, conveyed the heartfelt condolence in a statement issued to newsmen on Monday, in which she branded the violence as “senseless, inhumane, and pathetic” given its devastating effects of destruction of lives and property.
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families affected by these recent mass killings in Benue and other parts of the state,” she stated.
She sternly condemned the growing trend of violence sweeping communities across the nation, re-emphasizing that the group stands arm in arm with the people of Benue State, especially the affected families, UBWA members, children, and women in general.
The UBWA’s reaction is coming in the wake of a brutal attack in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area, of Benue State over the weekend, where Amnesty International reports that at least 100 residents — including children and the elderly — were killed in a horrifying overnight assault. Footage shared by human rights groups shows homes burned to the ground and charred bodies strewn across the village, adding to the list of the massacres in the State and and its environs.
The killings also recently triggered up a chain of reactions and a demonstration by protesters as the youths blocked key junctions in Makurdi, the Benue’s capital — chanting “Stop Benue Killings” — before they dispersed with tear gas by police.
Sharing her words of hope and prayers in the statement, the UBWA President decried the recurring cases of such a deeper national wound, advocating that the people of Benue State require a very urgent and significant assistance to bring a perpetual end to the incident.
“We mourn with you and stand together against the rising tide of killings in our various states and Nigeria as a whole. May God bring comfort and protection to our great nation,” she stated, further urging immediate and effective measures from both federal and state authorities to halt the bloodshed, rather than just paying a lip service to that or treating it with levity.
“We demand a total crackdown on these criminal elements unleashing these mayhems,” UBWA added.
Some other prominent groups and individuals from Nigeria and around the world — including Pope Leo XIV, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate Peter Obi, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), among others — have also joined their voices to condemn the bloodshed and intensify pressure on the authorities for quick decisive action.