Are the Fulani Herdsmen Unstoppable?

For anyone watching Nigeria’s slow descent into blood-stained chaos, one question echoes louder with each fresh grave in the Middle Belt: Are Fulani herdsmen now unstoppable? This isn’t just about land or cattle anymore. This is about how a specific group has continued to terrorize farming communities, especially in Benue State, and how Nigeria, time and again, has failed to protect its citizens.

The Yelewata Massacre: A Country That Can’t Protect Its People

On the night of June 14, 2025, gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen stormed the quiet Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, Benue State. They didn’t just attack, they butchered. Entire families were wiped out in their sleep. Houses were torched. Women and children were slaughtered without mercy.

Early figures said 100 dead. Survivors later said it was closer to 150. And still, no one has been arrested, no one named, no one punished. Instead, what we got was another round of “we condemn this act in strong terms” from government officials. This is the same tired routine we’ve watched after Agatu, after Gwer West, after Logo, after Odugbeho. How many more before we admit we’ve lost control?

A Pattern of Killings, Kidnappings, and Cold Silence

The Yelewata massacre is just the latest in a never-ending string of Fulani-related attacks in Nigeria. In 2023 alone, Benue recorded at least 119 attacks, with over 400 deaths and more than 35 kidnappings. This year, between May and June, fresh attacks across Gwer West and Makurdi took more lives, priests, pregnant women, children. Nobody is off limits.

These killings are not random. They follow a pattern: grazing disputes that spiral into murder; farmlands razed to the ground; cattle rustling accusations met with bullets; entire communities chased from ancestral homes. What do you call that if not organized ethnic cleansing?

Remember Owo? Because We Still Do

Let’s not forget Owo, Ondo State, in 2022. The day St. Francis Catholic Church was attacked by suspected Fulani extremists was the day many Nigerians realized this isn’t just a Northern problem, it’s a nationwide threat. Over 50 worshippers died inside a church.

So again, who are we pretending for? Do we really not know who’s doing this?

So Why Is Tinubu Preaching Reconciliation?

Following the Yelewata attack, President Bola Tinubu visited Benue—marking his first official trip to the state since becoming president. He went straight to the hospital to visit survivors, then hosted a town hall with state leaders, traditional rulers, and security chiefs. But it wasn’t just a condolence tour. He came bearing a reconciliation mandate.

Yes, you heard right.

After over a decade of violence, after thousands have been slaughtered and displaced, the federal response is to sit everyone down and talk it out? Why? Why does the burden of forgiveness always fall on the victims? Why are we asking people to reconcile with killers who haven’t stopped killing?

Dialogue or Disrespect?

Tinubu’s camp says military action alone won’t fix the crisis, that they need trust, intelligence gathering, and “community cooperation.” But many people see it differently. They see a government that’s scared to confront Fulani terrorists because it might upset some powerful interests.

What’s even more disturbing is the silence around justice. No high-profile arrest. No public trial. No serious military pursuit. Just endless talk. Meanwhile, people are dying. And the attackers? They’re not hiding. They return to these villages over and over like they’re on tour.

Community Policing or an Excuse to Do Nothing?

Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia keeps urging communities not to arm themselves. He says community policing is the way forward. But how can you police a community where the killers have more guns than the military?

At this point, it’s not crazy for villagers to want to defend themselves. If the government refuses to protect them, what other option do they have?

The Bigger Tragedy: Farms, Families, and Fear

Benue is not just another Nigerian state. It’s the Food Basket of the Nation. But what happens when the farms are empty, and the farmers are either dead or in IDP camps?

A recent report showed that for every 1% increase in violence, crop yield drops by 0.21% and livestock output by 0.31%. This is a ticking food security time bomb.

Over one million people have been displaced across Benue. That’s not a statistic. That’s mothers, fathers, babies, students, and elders—all stripped of dignity and forced to start over with nothing. Entire generations are being erased while the government talks reconciliation.

Are Fulani Herdsmen Really Unstoppable?

Here’s the brutal truth: they’ll remain unstoppable if nothing changes.

But if Nigeria is serious, here’s what must happen:

• Strictly enforce the anti-open grazing laws—and not just on paper.
• Fund and support ranching projects—remove the excuse of “no land”.
• Create a national database of herders and their cattle—track movement.
• Strengthen intelligence gathering and local policing—empower communities.
• Investigate and prosecute attackers—justice must be visible, not whispered.
• Support displaced farmers—restore farms, rebuild homes, revive hope.

Benue Is Bleeding—Will Nigeria Watch or Act?

No amount of reconciliation meetings can fix a bullet wound. No dialogue can bring back a decapitated child. Nigeria must stop pretending this is a misunderstanding over grass. It’s war. A slow, quiet war against the people of Benue—and other states could be next.

So the question is not just whether Fulani herdsmen are unstoppable. It’s whether our leaders are too scared, or too complicit—to stop them