Nigeria, June 17 -- Once again, the fertile soils of Benue State have been stained with the blood of its own people. Over 200 people in the state, mostly farmers and rural dwellers, were gruesomely killed in cold blood in what can only be described as a Gestapo-style operation, swift, brutal, and merciless. The images are heart-wrenching, the statistics damning, and the collective silence from those in authority; both at the state and federal levels is deafening in its inadequacy.

This is not the time for condolence statements. It is not the time for another routine "We condemn this act" press release. This is a time for leadership, courageous, proactive, and constitutionally grounded leadership. Governor Alia must be reminded, in no unc...