Very painful times for Benue

Very painful times for Benue

By Terry Waya

THIS is a very painful time for all of us.

What’s happening in Benue right now is not just a news headline. It’s the reality of people waking up to fear, mothers burying children, families sleeping in the open, and unsure of what tomorrow will bring. And in the middle of all this, I just want to speak from a place of concern, not politics, not calculation. Just a deep worry for the place I call home.

We are hurting, and understandably, tempers are high. But I want to appeal to everyone, let’s not turn our pain into a weapon against each other. Let’s not waste energy trading blame when what we desperately need is healing. We’ve come too far, lost too much, and risk losing even more if we let division set the tone.

Our people are not at war. We are under attack. And yet, we are the ones still calling for peace.

I know the frustration. I know the feeling that nothing ever really gets fixed. But I also know that conflict like this, complex and decades old, cannot be solved overnight. The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu is actively working to address it, and I believe we should allow that process to breathe. Not blindly, no. But with cautious hope. With the kind of patience that doesn’t mean silence, but means holding space for something better to grow.

We are not shedding blood. We are shedding tears. And the world must see that difference.

Even as we bury our dead, we stretch out a hand for peace. Let that count for something.

The truth is, this isn’t a crisis or clashes this isn’t just about land, herders, or farmers. It is about invasion and now a genocide. And until we are ready to speak honestly, listen fully, and act with courage, we will keep going in circles. What we need now is for everyone –  leaders, elders, young people, every group affected to come together with a single purpose, peace.

But let it be clear. The Tiv are not fighting. We are surviving.
Peace should never be asked of the wounded without first stopping the wound.
Our hands are not bloody. They are calloused from digging too many graves.

It will not be easy. Rebuilding trust is one of the hardest things to do. But if we want our children to grow up in a different Benue, we do not have a choice. Let’s begin again. Let’s talk, let’s listen, and let’s demand justice, not just for the sake of peace but for the sake of dignity.

We are not asking for revenge. We are asking for justice.
When the oppressed ask for peace, it is not weakness. It is strength soaked in pain.
How long will a people suffer before their cry touches the conscience of a nation?
Let it be known. Tivland is not the battlefield. We are the battleground.

I know the frustration. I know the feeling that nothing ever really gets fixed. But I also know that conflict this complex and decades old cannot be solved overnight. The Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu is actively working to address it, and I believe we should allow that process to breathe. Not blindly, no. But with cautious hope. With the kind of patience that doesn’t mean silence, but means holding space for something better to grow.

To those who have lost loved ones.I am so sorry. I mourn with you. I see you. And I promise to keep using my voice loudly, firmly, and consistently until this madness ends.

Let’s support efforts toward peace. Let’s stay open to dialogue. Let’s not give up, not because we haven’t been hurt, but because we believe we deserve better.

*Waya, CFR, is an elder statesman and community leader