DSS Warned Weeks Before Benue Massacre, Leaked Memo Reveals
By IDNN Security and Conflict Desk
Abuja, Nigeria — A classified Department of State Services (DSS) memo leaked to the press has revealed that Nigeria’s top intelligence agency warned military authorities weeks in advance of the June 13 massacre in Benue State that left more than 200 people dead.
The document, dated May 13, was reportedly addressed to Commander Moses Gara of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS)—the military-led joint task force tasked with peacekeeping in the North-Central region.
The DSS explicitly warned that Fulani militias were planning coordinated attacks in Benue and Nasarawa states, citing retaliation for cattle seizures by the state government.
Targeted Communities Listed in Advance
The memo reportedly named several vulnerable communities including Yelewata, Daudu, Akon, Chiata, Kaambe, Vandikya, Apelle, and parts of Makurdi, Agatu, Gwer East and Gwer West. Notably, Yelewata, where over 100 people were killed, was among the areas marked for “imminent attack.”
Despite this intelligence, the killings were not preempted.
Intelligence Ignored?
The leaked communication has triggered outrage from civil society groups and security analysts, who say it confirms a systemic failure to act on early warning intelligence.
“This memo proves that the massacre could have been prevented,” said one security consultant. “The lack of action borders on complicity.”
So far, there has been no official reaction from the DSS or OPWS to the memo’s leak or its implications.
A Growing Pattern of Preventable Violence
This revelation comes just days after President Bola Tinubu visited Benue and handed Governor Hyacinth Alia a comprehensive security roadmap, which critics now say might have come too late for the hundreds who died.
The massacre has reignited calls for decentralized security, more responsive command structures, and an independent audit into how Nigeria’s security agencies handle classified intelligence.
