Former AGF urges US to extend air strikes to Benue amid rising insecurity

Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN)

MAKURDI, Nigeria — A former Attorney General of the Federation has called on the United States government to broaden its recent air strike campaign in Nigeria to include Benue State, citing a surge in violent attacks that he says have overwhelmed communities and displaced countless residents. 

Chief Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) made the appeal during a consultation dinner with political stakeholders from both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Makurdi, which ran late into Friday night and concluded in the early hours of Saturday. 

Aondoakaa said the presence of armed groups in Benue had grown so pronounced that similar aerial operations to those recently carried out by the US in Sokoto State’s Bauni Forest should be deployed locally. “There are terrorists in Benue State,” he remarked, adding that such strikes were “long overdue”. 

According to the former minister, several local government areas have been effectively taken over by armed groups masquerading as herders. These fighters, he claimed, have not only clashed with residents but also destroyed livelihoods, displaced families and occupied agricultural land. 

Aondoakaa, who is seeking the governorship of Benue State in the 2027 elections, criticised the current state administration’s response to insecurity as inadequate. He pledged that, if elected, safeguarding lives and property would be among his top priorities. 

The legal luminary also denounced the spate of killings in the state, including the reported massacre in Yelwata community, where an estimated 200 people were killed, an attack that has added urgency to calls for decisive action. 

Despite his call for international military involvement, Aondoakaa commended President Bola Tinubu for efforts to tackle insecurity nationwide and appealed for continued federal support to protect vulnerable communities in Benue. 

At the event, former Governor Samuel Ortom expressed confidence in Aondoakaa’s leadership capabilities, urging unity across party lines to address the deep-rooted security and development challenges facing the state.