Human Rights Lawyer Calls For Declaration Of State of Emergency in Benue
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, a
Human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on Benue State.
Ejiofor who said the ongoing massacre against the indigenous people of Benue urged Tinubu to invoke Section 305(1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and declare a state of emergency.
The Lawyer, in a statement made available to journalists in Awka on Tuesday condemned the escalating violence and the apparent inaction of the state government.
He accused Gov. Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of not doing enough to protect the lives of the people and advised him to consider returning to the pulpit as he seemed overwhelmed.
He said the situation in Benue has clearly met and exceeded this threshold.
“The President is constitutionally empowered to declare a state of emergency in any part of the country facing a breakdown of public order or imminent threat to life and property.
“The Governor, as a former spiritual leader turned political figure, must recognise that in times of crisis, leadership demands constitutional fidelity, courage, and unequivocal 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,” he said.
Ejiofor said that the persistent and coordinated attacks by suspected foreign militias through the Cameroon border was an affront to Nigeria’s national security and sovereignty.
He stressed that leadership in times of crisis requires more than symbolic gestures or evasive rhetoric.
“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.
“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,” he said.
