The Nigerian Senate has called on the Federal Government to deploy additional troops to Yelewata and other crisis-hit communities in Benue State, following a wave of violent attacks that have claimed over 200 lives.

During Wednesday’s plenary, lawmakers also demanded a comprehensive investigation into the killings, urging security agencies to apprehend and prosecute those responsible.

 “The Senate condemns in the strongest terms the heinous killings in Yelewata and all forms of mass violence against innocent Nigerians,” Senate President Godswill Akpabio said while presiding over the session.

A minute of silence was observed in honour of the victims, as senators echoed calls for urgent security reinforcement and relief efforts.

The Senate’s resolutions followed a motion sponsored by Senator Titus Zam (APC, Benue North West), who described the June 13 massacre in Yelewata as a “tragic, genocidal event.”

 “Over 200 innocent civilians, including women and children, were gruesomely murdered,” Zam said. “Human rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called it a well-coordinated assault carried out with impunity.”

Zam also noted that additional attacks in Aondoana and Naka towns in Gwer-West LGA resulted in 50 more deaths, highlighting a pattern of targeted violence and mass displacement.

The senator criticized what he termed a delayed response by security agencies and inadequate protection by the state government.

“It is disheartening that despite the availability of huge security resources, the state has not been able to effectively protect its citizens,” he lamented.

However, he commended President Bola Tinubu for his swift intervention, including: a directive to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to dispatch relief materials, a presidential visit to Benue, and the arrest of suspects linked to the killings.

In a broader resolution, the Senate threw its support behind the Federal Government’s plan to establish ranches nationwide, describing it as a sustainable solution to the herder-farmer conflict plaguing the region.