Human rights lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Benue State by invoking Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
This, he said will stem the tide of ongoing massacres allegedly perpetrated by Fulani militants against the indigenous people of Benue.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ejiofor condemned the escalating violence and the apparent inaction of the state government.
The lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), urged the state Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia to return to the pulpit if political leadership has become too burdensome for him.
Ejiofor maintained that the current situation in Benue has obviously met and exceeded the threshold for emergency rule declaration.
“Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) empowers the President to declare a state of emergency where there is a breakdown of public order or imminent danger to life and property.
“Given the scale and persistence of the ongoing attacks allegedly perpetrated by foreign militias infiltrating through the Cameroon border as reported by the Governor this constitutional threshold has clearly been surpassed.
Foreigners challenging Nigeria’s sovereignty
The legal luminary bemoaned persistent and coordinated attacks reportedly by foreign militias infiltrating through the Cameroon border.
He described the development equally acknowledged by the Governor as a direct challenge on Nigeria’s national security and sovereignty.
He stressed that leadership in times of crisis requires more than symbolic gestures or evasive rhetoric.
“This is no time for political appeasement or partisan manoeuvring. The foremost duty of any government is the protection of its citizens and the defence of its territorial integrity.
“By absolving known actors and trivialising verified threats, the Benue State Government risks eroding the very foundation of national security coordination.
“The Governor, as a former spiritual leader turned political figure, must recognize that in times of crisis, leadership demands constitutional fidelity, courage, and unequivocal action not deflection or denial.”
Burden of political leadership
Ejiofor advised the Governor to return to the Pulpit if burden of political office has become too heavy for him.
“Perhaps a return to the pulpit may better serve his conscience and calling.”
He urged the Federal Government to empower the Nigerian security apparatus with full operational autonomy to launch comprehensive operations.
According to him, the operations will be targeted at identifying, isolating, and neutralising the foreign insurgents terrorising peaceful communities.
“These unprovoked assaults on the aboriginal people of Yelwata and surrounding villages must be confronted with a unified national resolve.
“The lives of Benue’s indigenous peoples must never be reduced to political bargaining chips.
“Their only ‘crime,’ it seems, is their ancestral heritage and legitimate claim to their homeland.
He noted, “Nigeria stands at a crossroads. History will neither forget nor forgive those who remained silent or complicit in the face of a preventable genocide.
“The time for rhetorical posturing is over. The time for decisive constitutional action is now.
“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.”
