Senate demands security deployment after 20 killed in Benue attacks
The Senate has called for immediate security deployment to Benue communities following fresh attacks by suspected bandits that have claimed at least 20 lives.
The Senate on Wednesday called for immediate deployment of security personnel to Akpachi-Ugboju, Otukpo-Nobi, Ondo Ugboju and surrounding communities in Benue State, following renewed attacks by suspected bandits which had claimed no fewer than 20 lives. The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Abba Moro (PDP-Benue South) on the urgent need to stop the gruesome killings in the affected communities in Otukpo Local Government Area.
The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of the victims of the attacks on Akpachi-Ugboju and Otukpo-Nobi, as well as those who lost their lives in the fresh assault on Ondo Ugboju. It urged the inspector-general of police, the chief of army staff and other relevant security agencies to immediately deploy a strong security presence to the affected communities to restore normalcy, protect lives and property, and prevent further attacks.
The upper chamber also mandated the inspector-general of police to conduct a thorough investigation into the attacks, apprehend the perpetrators and ensure that they were prosecuted to deter future incidents. The Senate further urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to urgently provide relief materials, including food, medical supplies and temporary shelter to displaced persons.
Moving the motion, Mr Moro expressed shock over the coordinated attacks on Ondo Ugboju on 14 July, saying it had thrown the entire local government area into panic and caused widespread displacement. He said that the relentless and audacious nature of the attacks suggested a deliberate attempt to wipe out the affected communities. “If urgent security interventions are not immediately deployed, the situation will degenerate into a complete breakdown of law and order, alongside a looming food crisis as farmers are forced to abandon their farmlands out of fear for their lives,” he said.
Briefing journalists after the plenary, Mr Moro said, “The time has come for us to call a spade a spade. Governors should not wait until communities are attacked before issuing statements of condemnation. They should take proactive steps to prevent such attacks.” He also described financial donations announced for victims of the attacks as inadequate, insisting that no amount of relief could compensate for the loss of lives and destruction suffered by the affected communities.
The Benue attacks are part of a recurring pattern of violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The region has been plagued by farmer-herder conflicts, communal clashes and banditry for years. The government’s response has been reactive, with military deployments and peace committees that have done little to stop the cycle. The Senate’s call for immediate deployment is a recognition that the situation is deteriorating.
This echoes the 2018 violence in Benue State, when herdsmen attacks led to the enactment of the state’s anti-open grazing law. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: communities attacked, lives lost and a government struggling to respond.
The winners: none. The losers: the families of the 20 victims; the communities devastated by violence; and the Nigerian state, which has failed to protect its citizens.
Bottom Line: Twenty dead in Benue. The Senate is demanding action. The government is offering condolences. The cycle continues.