US troops should have bombed Benue before Sokoto – Aondoakaa tells Trump

Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN), has said that decisive international military intervention, including United States airstrikes, is long overdue in Benue State amid escalating attacks by armed herdsmen.

Aondoakaa made the assertion over the weekend at a consultation dinner for political stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held in Makurdi.

According to him, armed herdsmen have overrun more than 15 of the 23 local government areas in the state, subjecting communities to persistent violence, killings, and displacement.

“There are terrorists in Benue State. US airstrikes should have started here before going to Sokoto. These airstrikes are long overdue in Benue,” Aondoakaa said.

He lamented that the sustained attacks have forced thousands of residents, particularly women and children, to flee their ancestral homes and seek refuge in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps under harsh and inhumane conditions.

The former justice minister accused those who entered the state under the guise of grazing but later took up arms against indigenous communities of terrorism, noting that they have destroyed livelihoods, occupied farmlands, and crippled local economies.

Aondoakaa also criticised the response of the Benue State Government, describing it as inadequate in the face of the scale of violence confronting the state.

While calling for international support, he urged the state government to urgently strengthen its local security architecture and deploy all available resources to restore peace.

The former minister, who is seeking the governorship ticket to succeed Governor Hyacinth Alia, pledged to make security his top priority if elected, stressing the need for unity and bipartisan collaboration to address the crisis.

He condemned recent attacks in the state, including the killing of over 200 persons in Yelewata community, and warned that failure to act decisively could further endanger lives and destabilise the state.