AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, REV. FR. HYACINTH IORMEM ALIA, THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF BENUE STATE, NIGERIA.
A Call for Transparent Reconstruction and Justice for Yelewata
Your Excellency,
We address you today as the resilient survivors of one of Nigeria’s most devastating terrorist attacks; the brutal massacre that befell our beloved Yelewata community on June 13-14, 2025. Through this open letter, we carry the voices of over 250 martyred souls and thousands of displaced lives many of whom are still living in pitiable and harrowing conditions in the IDP camp, speaking truth to power with the dignity and determination that defines our people.
THE NIGHT THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
Your Excellency, the world witnessed the unspeakable horror that visited our peaceful community. Over 250 of our kinsmen were slaughtered in cold blood by Fulani terrorists who came with automatic guns, machetes, and fire. They burned our homes, destroyed our market and foodstuffs, and left our children orphaned and our women widowed. The images of that night of evil which displayed bodies burned in market stalls, families fleeing in terror, and the acrid smoke rising from our destroyed community remain etched in the collective memory of our nation. But from these ashes, we rise with a message of hope, accountability, and reconstruction.
THE UNPRECEDENTED OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT
Your Excellency, in our darkest hour, Nigeria and the world responded with unprecedented generosity:
– His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally visited our state and made substantial donations
– Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through the Renewed Hope Initiative, donated One Billion Naira specifically for our rehabilitation
– His Excellency, the Governor of Nasarawa State, extended support to our people.
– International humanitarian organizations, many of which we influenced and persuaded, contributed billions (in Naira) more to our cause.
Conservative estimates place the total documented donations at over Four Billion Naira; funds specifically earmarked for the reconstruction of Yelewata and the rehabilitation of our people. These are not statutory allocations from government coffers but extraordinary donations born from human compassion and a commitment to justice.
LEARNING FROM HISTORY: THE MARSHALL PLAN PRECEDENT
Your Excellency, as educated citizens of Nigeria, we draw inspiration from one of history’s most successful reconstruction efforts: the Marshall Plan. After World War II left Europe in ruins, the United States launched the European Recovery Program in 1948, providing $13.3 billion (equivalent to $133 billion today) for reconstruction.
The Marshall Plan’s success was not merely in its financial magnitude but in its transparent implementation through inclusive committees that brought together government officials, community leaders, technical experts, and affected populations. This collaborative approach ensured that resources reached their intended beneficiaries and that reconstruction truly served the people’s needs.
We respectfully propose that Yelewata’s reconstruction should follow this proven model.
OUR VISION: THE YELEWATA RECONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
Your Excellency, we formally request the establishment of a Yelewata Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Committee comprising:
(i) Community Representatives:
○ Elders – who carry our traditional wisdom
○ Women Leaders – representing the many widows needing specialized support
○ Youth Representatives – who embody our community’s future
○ Religious Leaders – providing spiritual guidance and healing
(ii) Technical Experts:
○ Engineers and Architects – for infrastructure development
○ Medical Professionals – for healthcare planning
○ Education Specialists – for schools and training centers
○ Agricultural Experts – for farmland restoration
(iii) Government Officials:
○ State Government Representatives – for policy coordination
○ Local Government Officials – for implementation oversight
○ Security Experts – for future protection strategies.
COMPREHENSIVE RECONSTRUCTION: OUR BLUEPRINT
Your Excellency, with over Four Billion Naira in donations, we envision a comprehensive reconstruction that transforms our tragedy into triumph:
●Housing Revolution:
Construction of 100 modern housing units (2 and 3-bedroom apartments) incorporating:
– Modern security features to protect our families
– Solar power systems for sustainable energy
– Rainwater harvesting systems
– Community spaces for social cohesion
●Economic Revival:
Rebuilding our destroyed market with:
– Modern commercial facilities and permanent stalls
– Cold storage systems for agricultural produce
– Banking and microfinance services
– Skills development centers for our youth
●Infrastructure Development:
– Complete electrification of our community
– Street lighting systems for enhanced security
– Improved road networks connecting the highway to adjoining settlements.
– Clean water systems and sanitation facilities.
●Justice and Compensation:
– Direct financial compensation for families who lost loved ones.
– Property restoration funds for destroyed homes and businesses.
– Educational scholarships for orphaned children
– Trauma counseling services for survivors.
OUR APPEAL TO BENUE STATE GOVERNMENT
Your Excellency, we respectfully call upon the Benue State Government to complement these generous donations with strategic investments:
○A State-of-the-Art Medical Facility
The most painful lesson from our tragedy was watching our people die en route to Makurdi because we have no hospital in Yelewata. Some who might have survived succumbed to their injuries during the journey to medical care.
We appeal to your administration to construct a modern medical facility in Yelewata that will serve as:
– Emergency response center for our community and surrounding areas
– Trauma treatment facility equipped for crisis situations
– General healthcare services for routine medical needs
– Training center for medical personnel
This hospital would stand as a permanent testimony to the lives lost and a guarantee that such preventable deaths never occur again.
○Employment Opportunities for Our Youth
Your Excellency, our community is blessed with qualified young professionals such as teachers, engineers, healthcare workers, accountants, and skilled artisans, many of whom lost their livelihoods in the attack. We respectfully request:
– Priority consideration for Yelewata youth in state employment opportunities
– Skills development programs aligned with state economic priorities
– Entrepreneurship support through microfinance and business development services
– Agricultural modernization programs to revive our farming heritage
ACCOUNTABILITY: OUR COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY
Your Excellency, let it be known that our community includes highly educated individuals: university graduates, professionals, and community leaders who understand governance, accountability, and development. We are not passive recipients of charity; we are active partners in our reconstruction.
We commit to:
– Transparent monitoring of all reconstruction projects
– Regular community meetings to assess progress and address challenges
– Detailed financial reporting on fund utilization
– Community participation in all phases of implementation
Our involvement is not just our right; it is our responsibility to the memory of our martyred kinsmen and to future generations who will inherit what we build today.
THE MORAL IMPERATIVE
Your Excellency, the over Four Billion Naira donated for Yelewata’s reconstruction represents more than money; it embodies the compassion of millions of Nigerians and the international community who were moved by our suffering. Every naira carries the prayers, hopes, and expectations of those who believe in justice and human dignity.
We cannot allow this unprecedented goodwill to be squandered through bureaucratic inertia or mismanagement. The world is watching, and history will judge how we stewarded this opportunity to transform tragedy into triumph.
OUR MESSAGE TO NIGERIA AND THE WORLD
To our fellow Nigerians and the international community who stood with us in our darkest hour: we have not forgotten your kindness, and we will not fail your trust. The Yelewata reconstruction will demonstrate that Nigerian communities can rise from the ashes stronger and more unified.
To those who sought to destroy us: you have failed. You took our lives, burned our homes, and shattered our peace, but you could not break our spirit or our resolve to rebuild better than before.
To future generations: we are building for you. Every home constructed, every school established, every hospital equipped, and every road paved serves as a foundation for the prosperous, secure, and peaceful community you deserve.
CONCLUSION: A PARTNERSHIP FOR POSTERITY
Your Excellency, we conclude this open letter not with demands but with an invitation to partnership. The establishment of the Yelewata Reconstruction Committee represents an opportunity to demonstrate exemplary leadership, transparent governance, and community-centered development.
Just as the Marshall Plan transformed Europe from devastation to prosperity, the reconstruction of Yelewata can become a model for post-terror recovery in Nigeria and across Africa. Under your leadership, we can show the world that Nigerian communities are resilient, resourceful, and capable of turning tragedy into transformation.
The choice before us is clear: we can allow bureaucratic processes to delay and diminish this historic opportunity, or we can act with the urgency and vision that this moment demands.
We choose to build. We choose to heal. We choose to hope.
Your Excellency, the time for action is now. Our people have waited long enough. The resources are available, the plans are ready, and the community is prepared to work. All we need is your leadership to transform promise into reality.
May history record that in Benue State’s darkest hour, leadership rose to meet the challenge, communities united for reconstruction, and from the ashes of tragedy emerged a stronger, more prosperous, and more secure future for all.
We await your response with hope, determination, and unwavering faith in the power of good governance to transform lives.
Respectfully submitted,
Franc Utoo, Esq. KofC
University of Central Oklahoma, USA
(Great grandson of the founder of Yelewata, Papa Nomgbera)
(Chairman)
Email: futoo@uco.edu
Phone: +1 405 500 6236
Dominics Aondoaver
Wrexham, United Kingdom.
(Vice Chairman)
Email: aondoaverdominicss@gmail.com
Phone: +44786805291
Peter Ikyapa, PhD.
(Secretary)
Email: ikyapap@gmail.com
Phone: +234 8095904841
On behalf of:
THE YELEWATA COMMUNITY:
Survivors, Stakeholders, and Advocates for Justice
FROM ASHES TO HOPE, FROM TRAGEDY TO TRIUMPH
