[EDITORIAL] Ochetoha K’Idoma: A toothless bulldog in deafening silence amid killings in Benue South

The wave of killings sweeping across Benue South, particularly in the Idoma-speaking areas, is a crisis that demands urgent attention.

Otukpo Local Government Area, once a peaceful hub, has now turned into a slaughterhouse, with a disturbing rise in gruesome murders.

From the brutal assassination of lawyer Mark Ofikwu to the recent killing of retired Comptroller of Immigration, Akatu Onche, by unknown gunmen in his own home, these acts of violence paint a grim picture of insecurity and lawlessness in the region.

Yet, in the face of this carnage, Ochetoha K’Idoma, the apex socio-cultural organization representing the Idoma people, has remained eerily silent. While the youth wing, under the leadership of Comrade Mike Magaji, recently led a protest in Otukpo, the national body has been absent from the discourse.

It has neither issued a statement condemning these atrocities nor taken any significant action to demand justice or provide support to affected communities.

The last time Ochetoha K’Idoma was heard from was during its internal elections, years ago. This is in stark contrast to its counterparts like Ohaneze Ndigbo, Afenifere, and the Ijaw National Council, which actively engage in socio-political matters affecting their people.

The failure of Ochetoha K’Idoma to rise to the occasion in this dire moment is a disgrace and a betrayal of its founding purpose.

While political leaders such as Senator Abba Moro, Hon. Blessing Onuh, and organizations like the Idoma Association USA and Idoma groups in the diaspora have consistently raised their voices against the ongoing massacre, the silence from Ochetoha K’Idoma is deafening.

For an organization that should serve as the voice of the Idoma people, its lack of action makes it nothing more than a toothless bulldog, its very existence now appearing redundant.

Ochetoha K’Idoma must wake up from its slumber. The leadership must take responsibility, break its silence, and join the fight for justice and security in Benue South. At a time when Idoma lives are being cut short daily, silence is not golden, it is complicity.