Outrage in Benue as Schoolchildren Made to Welcome Tinubu in Rain During Mourning Visit

Tension flared across Nigeria on Tuesday, June 18, after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s condolence visit to Benue State took an unexpected turn, sparking a firestorm of criticism as schoolchildren were reportedly forced to line the streets under pouring rain to cheer his arrival. What should have been a solemn tribute to victims of the Yelwata massacre was marred by orchestrated fanfare.

Despite a government-declared public holiday in Benue to mark Tinubu’s visit, pupils from public schools were allegedly mobilized to stand along major roads in Makurdi, drenched and holding up placards with campaign-style images of Tinubu and Governor Hyacinth Alia. The children were captured in multiple viral videos standing in soaked uniforms, waving flags and chanting as convoys passed.

President Tinubu had arrived in Benue to commiserate with families affected by the Yelwata killings in Guma LGA, where over 300 residents were reportedly slaughtered by suspected armed herdsmen earlier in June. The grief-stricken communities were anticipating a day of mourning, not what many have now called a “disrespectful political carnival.”

Eyewitness accounts and viral footage ignited swift backlash. Social media users slammed the state and federal governments for using children as political pawns. “If my child were out there in the rain for politics, I’d march to that street myself,” one user posted. Others called it “child abuse,” questioning the morality of staging a rally in the middle of a tragedy.

Adding fuel to public anger, a message from the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Special Groups Mobilization, Francis Ngutswen, surfaced online. Dated June 17, the memo called on party loyalists to stage a “colourful procession” from the airport to Makurdi Government House to show “massive love” to the President—a directive many say transformed a condolence visit into a campaign-like parade.

Critics have also condemned the presence of banners suggesting a second-term bid for Tinubu, barely one year into his presidency. Activists argue that leveraging a humanitarian crisis for political optics reflects dangerous levels of insensitivity from Nigeria’s leadership class. Some also questioned whether resources used to organise the rally should not have been directed to the displaced victims of the Yelwata attack.

By Tuesday evening, the phrase “Benue Children” trended across multiple social platforms, as calls for accountability from the federal and state governments grew louder. Advocacy groups have demanded official apologies and firm policy against using minors for political purposes during national emergencies.