Press Statement by Chief Peter Ameh, National Secretary, CUPP
Ex-2019 Presidential Candidate and Former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), on the terror attacks in the NORTH CENTRAL.
Date: June 9, 2025
Abuja, Nigeria
*WORSENING SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA: A GOVERNMENT IN DENIAL.*
*…..NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA’S BLOODSHED: A NATION’S BETRAYAL AND GLOBAL COMPLICITY.*
The North Central region of Nigeria, often referred to as the Middle Belt, has become a theater of unrelenting violence, marked by massacres, displacement, and land grabbing. Over the past two years, reports indicate that more than 9,000 lives have been lost in Plateau and Benue States alone, with countless others displaced from their ancestral homes. Yet, the Nigerian government and its leaders appear to be turning a blind eye to this humanitarian catastrophe, allowing life to continue as though the region’s suffering is inconsequential. The persistent neglect of the North Central’s security challenges by those in power, coupled with the misrepresentation of the crisis by the international community, has emboldened perpetrators and deepened the plight of the region’s indigenous populations.
The narrative often peddled by the international community, and sometimes echoed domestically, frames the violence in the North Central as mere “clashes between farmers and herders.” While disputes over grazing on farmlands do occur, reducing the crisis to this simplistic explanation is not only misleading but also dangerously dismissive of the broader, more sinister dynamics at play. The reality is far graver: what is unfolding in the North Central is a calculated campaign of subjugation and territorial occupation by armed groups, including imported terrorists. These groups, often masquerading as herders, are equipped with sophisticated weaponry such as AK-47s and other assault rifles. This is not the profile of traditional pastoralists resolving grazing disputes; it is the hallmark of organized militias with a clear agenda.
In Plateau, Kogi and Benue States, as well as parts of Southern Kaduna, the scale of displacement is staggering. Hundreds of villages have been overrun, their indigenous inhabitants forced to flee or face slaughter.
Survivors recount harrowing tales of loss—not only of lives but of entire communities. One victim recently shared a chilling account of their former village, now occupied by armed herdsmen who have built permanent structures on the land, while the original inhabitants languish in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. This is not a sporadic conflict over resources; it is a systematic effort to dispossess and replace entire populations. The fact that these occupiers are armed with military-grade weapons and operate with impunity points to a deeper failure of governance and security.
The Nigerian government’s response—or lack thereof—has been nothing short of shameful. By failing to acknowledge the true nature of the crisis, the authorities are complicit in perpetuating it. The reluctance to label these attacks as barbaric or terrorism, coupled with the absence of decisive action, suggests either incompetence or a deliberate attempt to downplay the crisis for political reasons. The government’s inaction has allowed bandits and terrorists to operate with boldness, grazing openly with assault rifles and seizing communities without fear of repercussions. This failure to protect citizens violates the fundamental contract between a government and its people.
Moreover, the North Central region has long been taken for granted in Nigeria’s national affairs. Despite its strategic importance as the country’s food basket and its rich cultural diversity, the region is often sidelined in policy discussions and resource allocation. The government’s apparent indifference to the bloodshed in Plateau, Benue, Kogi and other states sends a clear message: the lives of North Central citizens are expendable. This neglect is not only a moral failing but also a strategic miscalculation, as the escalating insecurity threatens to destabilize the entire country. A region plagued by violence and displacement cannot contribute to Nigeria’s economic or social progress, and the ripple effects of this crisis will eventually be felt far beyond the region.
The international community’s role in misrepresenting the crisis must also be addressed.
The attempt to continue to frame the violence as a resource-based conflict between farmers and herders, global actors have inadvertently or deliberately obscured the ethnic and territorial dimensions of the violence. This mischaracterization downplays the severity of the atrocities and shifts focus away from the need for urgent intervention. It also emboldens the perpetrators, who operate under the cover of a sanitized narrative that avoids terms like “terrorism” or “land grabbing.” The international community must recalibrate its approach, recognize the crisis for what it is, and pressure the Nigerian government to act decisively.
For peace to return to the North Central, the Nigerian government must take bold and deliberate steps.
First, it must acknowledge the true nature of the crisis and stop hiding behind euphemisms. The violence is not merely a series of clashes but a coordinated effort to displace and marginalize indigenous communities. Second, the government must deploy adequate security forces to protect vulnerable populations and reclaim occupied territories. This requires not only military action but also intelligence-driven operations to dismantle the networks supporting these armed groups. Third, justice must be served to the victims through transparent investigations and prosecutions of perpetrators, regardless of their affiliations. Finally, the government must invest in rebuilding affected communities, resettling displaced persons, and addressing the root causes of the crisis, including disputes over land and resources.
The worsening security challenges in the North Central are a stain on Nigeria’s conscience. The government’s neglect and the international community’s misrepresentations have allowed a humanitarian disaster to unfold unchecked. Until those in power take responsibility and act with the urgency and resolve that the situation demands, the bloodshed will continue, and the North Central will remain a forgotten casualty of a nation in denial. Justice, security, and peace are not negotiable—they are the bare minimum owed to the people of the North Central.
Chief Peter Ameh
National Secretary, CUPP
Ex-2019 Presidential Candidate and Former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
