From food basket to war zone – Angbo laments insecurity in Benue

Hon. Kennedy Angbo, member representing Otukpo/Akpa State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, has decried the rising wave of violence and insecurity in Benue State, saying the state has tragically shifted from being Nigeria’s “Food Basket” to a “war zone.”

Speaking with emotion during a recent interview following the deadly attack on Otobi-Akpa community in Otukpo LGA, Angbo described the killings as part of a pattern of unchecked violence targeting rural communities across the state.

The latest incident, which claimed the lives of at least 11 residents including women, children, and the elderly, was reportedly carried out by suspected armed herders.

“It is heartbreaking that Benue, once celebrated as the Food Basket of the Nation, is now better known for bloodshed and displacement,” Angbo lamented. “Farming communities are being driven off their ancestral lands, homes are torched, and innocent lives wasted — it’s nothing short of war.”

Angbo said the frequency and brutality of the attacks have left communities helpless, forcing many to flee their homes while farmlands are abandoned out of fear. He noted that these repeated assaults are not just about violence, but an attempt to displace and dispossess people of their land and heritage.

He criticized the federal government’s handling of security in the state, noting that response efforts have been slow, reactive, and largely ineffective. “People can’t go to their farms anymore. Food security is under threat. We’re no longer safe in our own homes, and we cannot continue to pretend everything is normal,” he said.

The lawmaker renewed his call for urgent legislative backing for community-based self-defense mechanisms, including the arming and legal recognition of vigilante groups. According to him, security agents are overstretched, and locals must now be equipped to protect themselves.

“Our people are not aggressors; they are farmers, market women, and students. They want peace, not war. But if the government cannot protect them, then it must empower them to protect themselves,” he stressed.

Angbo also disclosed that prior warnings were issued regarding potential attacks, but little was done to reinforce security in the vulnerable communities. “We are tired of burying our people. This has to stop,” he added.