Premium News
YOUTH GROUP DEMANDS PEACEFUL DISINTEGRATION OF NIGERIA
Following the killing of over 200 persons in Benue State, a youth-led movement, The Concerned Awakened New Generation Youths (CANG-YOUTHS), has called for a total re-evaluation of Nigeria’s continued existence as one country.
The group described the massacre as yet another example of the Nigerian state’s failure to protect its citizens.Travel guides for Nigeria
In a statement titled “Benue Killings: Is It Not Time To Rethink Nigeria?”, the group argued that the persistent killings across the country, especially in the Middle Belt and other minority areas, indicate that Nigeria is no longer serving the interests of its people.
CANG-YOUTHS stated: “We call on the nations that formed Nigeria to demand their right to self-determination. We urge President Tinubu to facilitate a peaceful process towards disintegration, allowing these nations to determine their own futures.”Travel guides for Nigeria
“We call on Nigerians to join the Movement to reawaken and rethink our shared existence as a country today. We cannot continue to pretend that we are all one, nor treated as citizens. We cannot continue to shed daily tears and blood and still pretend that things will get better,” it added.
They also invited other concerned groups and nationalities to join their call: “We equally invite all individuals and nations affected by the Nigerian state to join us in demanding a future that is determined by us, for us. Together, we can build a brighter future for ourselves and future generations.”Travel guides for Nigeria
The recent massacre in Yelwata, a community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, is one of the deadliest attacks in the region’s recent history. Between the night of June 13 and 14, 2025, armed assailants stormed the village, targeting homes and a makeshift market sheltering displaced families.
Over 200 people were killed, many of them women and children, and thousands were forced to flee into nearby forests.
Eyewitnesses described a coordinated assault, noting that gunmen arrived from multiple directions, opened fire, and set shelters ablaze.
Many victims were internally displaced persons (IDPs) who had already fled previous violence. The attackers reportedly used sophisticated weapons and blocked escape routes.
While no group has officially claimed responsibility, the attack fits a pattern of violence linked to armed herders, particularly those of Fulani origin. The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, alleged that some locals aided the attackers, providing them with food, shelter, and even women, and guiding them to the IDP camp.
Benue has long been a flashpoint in Nigeria’s herder-farmer conflict, driven by land disputes between sedentary farmers (mostly Tiv and Idoma) and nomadic herders, as well as climate pressures such as desertification and drought, which are pushing herders southward.Travel guides for Nigeria
