VDM: If Benue Youths Can Chase Obi, They Can Chase Bandits Too

Social commentator VeryDarkMan has challenged Benue youths to redirect their ability to mobilise against political figures towards confronting the insecurity ravaging their communities. VeryDarkMan made the call while reacting to the incident in which some Benue youths reportedly blocked the movement of 2027 presidential candidate Peter Obi during his recent visit to the state. In a video shared on his social media platforms, VDM said the incident initially made him happy because it demonstrated that Benue youths could mobilise in large numbers when they were determined to act.

He, however, said the development became painful when he considered what the youths could achieve if the same energy was directed towards demanding an end to killings and attacks in the state. “If Benue youths can come out in numbers to chase somebody, tomorrow when bandits or terrorists attack, we know say una get squad wey sabi chase,” he said.

VDM said he was particularly disappointed that youths who had experienced years of killings, attacks on farmers and other forms of insecurity could, in his view, be mobilised for political purposes. He recalled protests following the Yelewata massacre, noting that residents who came out to demand an end to killings were allegedly dispersed with tear gas. According to him, the contrast was troubling because the youths were able to gather in large numbers to disrupt Obi’s movement without facing the same level of resistance.

He questioned why the same determination was not being displayed when communities needed protection or when residents were demanding accountability from those in power. VDM also accused politicians of exploiting the frustrations of Benue youths for political advantage while failing to adequately address the problems confronting the state. He said the youths should not allow themselves to become instruments in political battles between rival camps. The social commentator said Benue’s current political crisis should therefore serve as a reminder that the state’s young people have significant collective power.

Rather than deploying that power against political opponents, he urged them to use it to demand security, better governance and protection for their communities. “I nearly cried when I watched that video. I was looking at it like, ‘ Is this my Benue people?” he said. His comments come amid renewed political tension in Benue following Obi‘s disrupted visit to the state and the subsequent disagreement over the circumstances surrounding the incident.