Nigeria Unreachable Voices: Benue Families Speak of the Silences After Deaths

Unreachable Voices echoed across Nigeria this week after lawyer Franc Utoo shared that he lost 33 family members in the recent Yelewata massacre. According to Utoo, many were murdered during a church Thanksgiving service, including readers, choir members, and elders. In the hours after the attack, he tried calling the eight people he knew were there. One by one, the calls went unanswered. All eight were already dead.

What followed, according to Franc and other villagers, was not justice, but a request from government officials to reconcile with the very people who had killed their families.

Key Points

• Franc Utoo’s viral post detailed the loss of 33 relatives, many inside a church.
• The first eight calls he made after the attack rang unanswered — all were already dead.
• Villagers report being told to “forgive” and “reconcile,” rather than being offered justice.
• Public outrage has grown over the government’s continued use of the term “clashes.”

Could Unreachable Voices mean more than missed calls - could they be grief, unacknowledged? What happens when silence becomes policy? Might truth echo louder when it's left unheard?

When unreachable voices speak louder than power can bear, who will hear what they’re trying to say?

Click to expand...

Sources:
Tribune Online, HumAngle, Channels TV, @I_Am_Ilemona (X)