Top entertainers have added their voices to the growing public outcry over the killings in Benue State and different parts of the country as a whole.
While some entertainment practitioners have pleaded with President Tinubu’s administration to help nip the crises in the bud by stopping the killings, others expressed their disappointments, boldly alleging that the President is incompetent with the way he is handling the security situation of the country.
Leading the attack against the administration’s failure on security is the Nigerian rapper and activist, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz.
The rapper expressed his displeasure on Monday via his X page while reacting to a statement posted by the President on Sunday concerning the violent attacks in the Middle Belt.
In the statement, Tinubu condemned the bloodshed and called for calm, saying, “Enough is enough! I have directed the security agencies to act decisively, arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict, and prosecute them.”
Falz, who is known for his vocal stance on national issues, described the statement as ‘routine’ one and that it does not cut in.
Quoting the President’s post, he wrote: “You have consistently shown that you are incapable of performing the primary duty of securing lives and property of your citizens. This routine statement does not cut it.”
Lending his voice, is Nigerian music icon, Innocent Idibia, popularly known as 2Baba, who incidentally is from the crisis ridden Benue State.
In a video shared on Instagram on Sunday, 2Baba expressed frustration and grief, saying the bloodshed in his home state has gone on for too long.
“This thing has to stop… We need every stakeholder to be serious and come together. It’s beyond condemnation now,” he said.
On his part, the Jos-born rapper and song writer, M.I Abaga took to his official X handle to express grief over the massacre that claimed over 100 lives in Yelewata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
According to him, the loss of lives in Benue and the Middle Belt is unacceptable.
“My heart is heavy. It grieves me deeply to see so much of the Middle Belt bleed. The recent killings in Benue are not just statistics, they are our people, our families, our communities being torn apart,” he wrote.
He further wrote:
“I stand in solidarity with my brothers and sisters in Benue. Your pain is my pain. We can’t normalise this cycle of violence that has plagued our land for too long.”
Comedian Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY, also shared his voice on Instagram, saying: “We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering happening in our homeland. It’s time for us to stand together.”
He urged leaders and citizens to pursue peace, justice and security, and warned that those causing harm are “destroying our unity.”
On Monday, controversial media personality Bobrisky also joined the conversation. In a post on Instagram, he criticised lawmakers for prioritising less pressing matters.
“Senators/house representatives didn’t call urgent meeting over the killing happening in Benue… but they can call urgent meeting when it comes to Bobrisky. Shame!!!!” he wrote.
Commenting on one of the posts, celebrated rapper, Olamide took to X (formerly Twitter) in a repost of 2Baba’s video, writing, “Prayers up for Benue.”
Expressing his anger, Nigerian rapper, Tochukwu Ojogwu, popularly known as Odumodublvck, condemned the renewed killings in Benue State, where a woman lost her five kids; Odumodublvck fumes, describing the attacks as shocking and “insane.”
The comments come amidst renewed attacks in parts of Benue, with several reports of deaths and displacement in rural communities.
Many Nigerians online have continued to call for immediate action, urging President Bola Tinubu and state governors in the Middle Belt region to prioritise security and protect citizens from further violence.
