As the security situation continues to deteriorate in Benue State, prominent lawyer and human rights advocate, Barrister Aida Nath Ogwuche, has issued an emotional open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging swift and decisive action to end the violence plaguing the state.
In the letter, titled “Benue Is Bleeding,” Ogwuche decried the relentless wave of killings, kidnappings, and attacks that have displaced thousands and devastated agricultural communities. She lamented that once-thriving farmlands have now become burial grounds, pushing the state into a deep humanitarian crisis.
The legal practitioner’s appeal comes on the heels of a brutal massacre in Yelewata, a town in Guma Local Government Area, where over 200 people reportedly lost their lives in a single night of violence.
Describing the worsening insecurity, Ogwuche warned that the state’s nickname as the “Food Basket of the Nation” risks being replaced with a darker reputation unless urgent steps are taken. “The recent wave of violent attacks, kidnappings, and bloodshed has plunged our people into fear, crippling livelihoods and paralyzing the economy of a state largely sustained by farming,” she wrote.
In her call to action, Ogwuche laid out several recommendations for the federal government, including:
Deployment of additional security forces across Benue
Strengthening inter-state collaboration to secure borders
Improved intelligence gathering and grassroots security systems
Tackling the underlying drivers of conflict with lasting solutions
Imposing a state of emergency in high-risk areas
She concluded her letter with a direct appeal to the President, stating: “Lives hang in the balance, and the people of Benue deserve to live in peace and security.”
The powerful message has resonated widely, drawing national attention to the escalating violence in the region and intensifying public demand for federal intervention to halt the crisis.
