The Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, has told President Bola Tinubu that the killings in Benue State are not clashes between herders and farmers, but a planned attack aimed at taking over land.

Speaking at a meeting with Tinubu and stakeholders in Benue on Wednesday, the traditional ruler said many people had misunderstood the crisis and wrongly advised Benue citizens to stay calm and live peacefully with their neighbours.

Ayatse said, “We do have grave concerns about the misinformation and misrepresentation of the security crisis in Benue State.

“Your Excellency, it’s not herders-farmers clashes, it’s not communal clashes, it’s not reprisal attacks or skirmishes.”

He described the violence as a “calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign” by herder terrorists and bandits that has lasted for decades.

He added, “Wrong diagnosis will always lead to wrong treatment… We are dealing with something far more sinister than we think. It’s not about learning to live with your neighbours; it is dealing with a war.”

punch