Benue Must Defend Itself, Insists Rep Ugbor
A member of the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor, has called on communities in Benue State to adopt self-defence strategies in the face of persistent and deadly attacks by suspected armed herdsmen.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, the lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency decried the long-running insecurity in the state and criticised the current posture of security agencies.
“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. This is what Benue needs to do,” Ugbor stated.
He noted that the state has long been a target of coordinated violence, with attacks escalating during festive periods and farming seasons. Ugbor warned that unless urgent and offensive military operations are initiated, the violence will persist.
“For a long time, as I said, Benue did not have a militia… The military formations in Benue are there for peacekeeping… They’re not there to open fire on any group of people… But right now, with this situation, the military needs to go on the offensive. If not, this problem will not stop,” he added.
Benue State has been plagued by violent attacks for over a decade, often linked to clashes between local farming communities and invading armed herders. The lawmaker emphasized that more than 40% of arable land in his constituency has been overtaken, worsening food insecurity and forcing mass displacements.
Ugbor reiterated the need for a more robust response from both the federal government and security agencies, while also urging communities to take their own survival seriously through legally-backed local vigilance structures.
His comments add to growing national concern over the slow pace of decisive intervention in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, where violence has claimed thousands of lives and displaced countless others.
