Benue killings: Reps member urges Tinubu to deploy troops, establish JTF base

A member of the House of Representatives representing Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency, Benue State, Onyeche Blessing Onuh, has urged President Bola Tinubu to deploy more security personnel to communities affected by renewed attacks in the constituency.

Onuh made the appeal in a letter dated July 28, 2026, addressed to the President, warning that over 50 people had been killed in less than one month.

The lawmaker said communities including Otukpo-Nobi, Akpachi-Ugboju, Agadagba and Efeyi had come under repeated attacks, leaving many residents dead, injured and missing.

She stated that despite several motions he sponsored in the House of Representatives and engagements with relevant stakeholders, the security situation had continued to deteriorate.

“Our people are under siege. The recent wave of violence has forced hundreds of helpless citizens to abandon their homes and means of livelihood,” she said.

Onuh called on the President to approve the immediate deployment of a Joint Task Force comprising military and police personnel to the affected communities.

She also requested intelligence-driven operations to arrest those responsible for the attacks, emergency humanitarian support for displaced residents and the establishment of the proposed Otukpo Army Barracks.

The lawmaker expressed confidence that stronger security measures would restore peace and allow residents to return to their homes and farms.