The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, arrived in Benue State on Monday for an on-the-ground assessment of the escalating security crisis following a spate of deadly attacks that have claimed dozens of lives and forced hundreds to flee their homes.

His visit follows a particularly brutal assault last Friday on the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area, where suspected herdsmen reportedly launched a violent attack that left several residents dead and many others injured or displaced.

Benue State, widely regarded as Nigeria’s food basket, has been gripped by recurring violence attributed to long-standing tensions between local farmers and nomadic herders. The Yelwata attack is the latest in a disturbing series of killings that have ravaged the state in recent weeks, deepening the humanitarian crisis.

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The IGP’s arrival comes shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu issued a strong directive to security chiefs on Sunday, urging them to take swift and decisive action to end the bloodshed and restore peace across the troubled region.

Describing the recent violence in Benue as “very depressing,” President Tinubu declared, “We must not allow this bloodletting to continue unabated. Enough is now enough.”

He further directed law enforcement agencies to “act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them.”

The Inspector General is expected to meet with local leaders, affected communities, and security operatives during his visit, with the aim of formulating a coordinated response to quell the violence and prevent further loss of life.