Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has challenged the prevailing narrative behind the persistent violence in Benue State, insisting that there is no such thing as a “farmers-herders clash.”
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, June 17, the army chief said the term “clash” inaccurately describes the crisis, suggesting instead that the core of the problem lies in animal encroachment, land disputes, and political failure.
“When they say farmer-herder clash, clash means two things are moving. But if a farm is static and an animal comes in, it is not a clash. It’s someone entering someone else’s asset,” Gen. Musa said.
His comments follow renewed outrage over the gruesome killing of over 200 people in Yelwata, a community in Benue’s Guma Local Government Area, where victims were reportedly burnt alive in yet another suspected herdsmen attack.
The incident, reported by Pulse Nigeria, has sparked widespread condemnation both within and outside the country.
CDS Musa gives 3 reasons for tragic Benue killings
The CDS highlighted three core drivers of the violence: politically unresolved land ownership disputes between indigenes and non-indigenes, uncontrolled movement of livestock, and rampant animal rustling.
“First is the issue of land — indigene and non-indigene — which is critical and political. That needs to be sorted out politically.
“Secondly, if the animals don’t move, we won’t have these issues. And thirdly, rustling stems from that same movement,” Musa stressed.
While maintaining that the military’s role is limited to halting violence, he emphasized the need for non-military interventions: “Most of it requires political solutions. This is not something the military alone can fix.”
Musa’s remarks place the onus on political leaders to implement long-term, structural reforms.
As the death toll continues to rise in Benue and other hotspots, calls are growing louder for urgent action that goes beyond military response.
