By Nwabueze Okonkwo

ONITSHA — Public affairs analyst and advocate for accountable governance, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invoke his constitutional authority to declare a state of emergency in Benue State, citing the scale and persistent nature of the killings of innocent civilians.

In a strongly worded statement titled “Call for Constitutional Intervention in Benue State Amidst Ongoing Security Crisis,” Ejiofor, who is also a legal practitioner, said the repeated massacres in Benue demand urgent federal intervention in line with Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

“The Constitution empowers the President to declare a state of emergency where there is a breakdown of public order or imminent danger to life and property,” Ejiofor stated. “Given the unrelenting attacks allegedly carried out by foreign militias infiltrating through the Cameroon border, as acknowledged by the state government, this threshold has clearly been met.”

He criticized Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, for what he described as “absolving known actors” and downplaying the scale of the threat.

“This is not a time for political appeasement or partisan manoeuvring,” he said. “Leadership in moments of crisis demands constitutional fidelity, courage, and decisive action — not deflection or denial. If the burden of political office has become too heavy, perhaps a return to the pulpit may better serve his conscience and calling.”

Ejiofor stressed that the lives of Benue citizens should never be reduced to political bargaining chips, lamenting the state’s deteriorating security situation. He called for the federal government to authorize full-scale operations by national security agencies to identify and neutralize the insurgents terrorizing communities like Yelwata and its environs.

“The Federal Government must act with national resolve. These atrocities must not be tolerated, normalized, or buried beneath political silence,” he emphasized.

He warned that the current security crisis in Benue is a litmus test for Nigeria’s leadership and national conscience.

“History will not forget, nor forgive, those who remain silent or complicit in the face of preventable genocide. Let justice rise — not as a whisper, but as a national roar. For every drop of innocent blood cries out — not just for attention, but for justice.”