Amid the growing insecurity in Benue State which has led to the loss of lives, the member representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor, has said that communities in the state will have to come up with ways to defend themselves against their attackers.

Ugbor stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday.

He said that Benue had for a long time not had a local security outfit that could serve as a defence mechanism against such attacks.

“You see, the DG of the DSS publicly said communities will have to come up with self-defence mechanisms. Communities will have to defend themselves. Communities will have to come up with vigilantes and other systems where you can protect your communities,” the lawmaker said.

“This is what Benue needs to do. For a long time, as I said, Benue did not have a militia. Benue has had several attempts to set up a state security apparatus, the former governor, (Samuel) Ortom did that, with the anti-open grazing law.

“Then this government came in and set up their own volunteer guards, ‘Anyam Nyor’. Unfortunately, we’ve not seen much of the impact of ‘Anyam Nyor’ in Benue. So we’ve not been able to set up a good security architecture to protect our communities in Benue. We’ve just not been able to,” he added.

Ugbor noted that the military formations currently in Benue are for peacekeeping rather than for combat.

He, therefore, called on the Nigerian military to go on the offensive to end the killings.

“And let me tell you, the military and the police security forces in Benue are in Benue for peacekeeping. I also went to military school, so I know the mentality behind military operations.

“The military formations in Benue are there for peacekeeping. I interact with them at the grassroots level, and I know their mindset. They’re not there to open fire on any group of people. They’re not there to go all out and open fire on the Fulani, open fire on the Tiv people, or any other tribe in Benue; they are there to maintain the peace,” he said.

“And because of that, when these people come and attack, they attack and they retreat. The security presence is not there, it doesn’t have the mandate to pursue them across state lines and go and attack them in another state.

“That is not the mandate of the security in Benue. But right now, with this situation, the military needs to go on the offensive. If not, this problem will not stop,” Ugbor added.

There have been growing concerns over the spate of killings in Benue, heightened by the attack on the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area of the state last Friday which led to the death of at least 59 residents.

The attack also left many injured and displaced thousands of residents.

Angry youths protest

Irked by the development, youths on Sunday stormed the Wurukum food basket roundabout to protest the alleged killing of scores of residents by suspected herdsmen in Yelwata, in Benue State.

Following the attack, the President, Bola Tinubu, on Monday, announced that he would visit Benue on Wednesday.

During his stay, he is expected to meet with all stakeholders — including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups — to seek lasting solutions to the hostilities.

The President is expected to hold a town hall meeting with all stakeholders during the visit, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday.

CDS, Alia, IGP vow to end killings

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, Benue State Governor, on Monday, Hyacinth Alia, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Monday, vowed to end the killings in the state.

They stated this when they visited the Yelwata community, in Guma Local Government Area of the state.

The service chiefs’ visit followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive to them to implement his earlier directive to bring lasting peace and security to Benue State.

Speaking during the visit, Musa said, “We must work together as a team. We also have the information that sometimes some of these people come across borders wherever it is they’re coming from, we’re going to go after them and take them. We can never ever give our country up for anything, and this madness must stop and it will end.”

Alia laments

Governor Hyacinth Alia, while briefing the CDS and the IGP on the attacks, lamented the extent of the carnage.

“It is quite unfortunate. That this kind of carnage, this kind of killings, you know, persists. The presence of the Chief of Defence Staff and the IGP means quite much to me, and definitely the people as well.

“Already, we now have an increased presence of different teams and squads, and that is going to create a huge difference,” he added.

The IGP directed the immediate deployment of additional tactical teams and assets aimed at restoring peace to Benue.

He said, “The people of this community are not alone. We are with them. The Nigerian communities are with them. A day will come when these bandits will come to operate as they used to, and they will never return.” (Channels TV)

• Right to left: Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun; Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa; and Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, during their visit to Yelwata community, in Guma Local Government Area of the state on Monday, June 16, 2025. Photo by NPF