Yelwata: Unite against insecurity, ex-EFCC boss, Waziri urges leaders, donate relief items 

Former Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs Farida Waziri has called on former governors, legislators, and traditional rulers in Benue State to rise above rivalry.

Waziri, who doubled as the Principal Partner at Brookfield Chambers, Abuja, made the appeal on Saturday in Makurdi, while donating relief materials to victims of recent gunmen attacks in the Yelwata community.

In a statement by Mr Austine Williams, a member at the Brookfield Chambers, Maitama, Abuja on Saturday, Waziri also donated relief items to displaced persons at an IDP camp in the state capital.

The ex-EFCC boss, however, also called on other stakeholders to urgently unite to end incessant attacks and killings across the state.

“This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring.

“Among us are men and women who have led this state, former governors, legislators, traditional rulers, individuals with influence and authority.

“The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child,”she maintained.

Waziri warned that the continuous violence resembled “a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage,” and stressed the need for collective action.

Quoting British war-time leader, Winston Churchill, she added: “Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’”

She further referenced Churchill’s words: “If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival,”

Waziri said her call aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s earlier message during his visit to Benue, but stressed that meetings alone would not suffice.

“Peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots.

“Communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already experienced weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids before the Yelwata massacre.

“These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues,” she said.

She, however, identified ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, cultism, and drug abuse as root causes of the crisis, alongside the herder-farmer conflict.

This, she said must be addressed with honesty and courage.

“There is no room for blame games. Our leaders, and indeed, all of us, must be pragmatic.

“So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home,”she emphasised.

Waziri who is also a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, (AIG), urged all Benue sons and daughters, at home and in the diaspora, to show concern and be part of finding lasting solutions to the crisis.

“The time to act is now,” Waziri maintained.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the donation was made under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a Non-Governmental Organisation founded by Waziri.

Items donated included bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam, and other household essentials aimed at alleviating the suffering of affected families.