Otukpo, Benue State — The apex socio-cultural organisation of the Idoma Nation, Ochetoha K’Idoma, has called for immediate and decisive military action following a deadly attack on Akpa-Otobi community and neighbouring settlements in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, 14 January 2026, left four people dead, including a former Local Government Councillor and a serving member of the Nigerian Armed Forces who was home on leave.
According to an Emergency Situation Report issued by the Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BSCPG), Benue South Headquarters, suspected armed herdsmen and kidnappers stormed the community and opened fire indiscriminately at a local provision shop.
Security sources said the attackers were reportedly searching for food and supplies to sustain victims held captive in nearby forests.
The killings have sparked renewed outrage across Idoma communities, with Ochetoha K’Idoma describing the incident as part of a sustained and coordinated campaign of violence against the people of Benue South.
In a statement signed by its President-General, Professor Yakubu A. Ochefu, the organisation said the murder of a serving soldier on home soil underscored what it described as a deepening collapse of security and state authority in the area.
“This is no longer an isolated incident,” the group said, pointing to a similar attack in the same axis last year. According to the statement, repeated assaults have effectively hampered farming and trading activities, leaving rural communities unable to harvest crops or transport goods to markets.
Ochetoha K’Idoma warned that the violence now amounts to more than random criminality, describing it as an attempt to economically strangulate and forcibly displace Idoma communities from their ancestral lands through fear, hunger, and insecurity.
While reaffirming its commitment to Nigeria’s unity and constitutional order, the group expressed concern that the state’s inability to protect lives and property was eroding public trust and pushing communities toward desperation.
The organisation acknowledged the response of security agencies following the latest attack but insisted that reactive deployments were no longer sufficient.
It called for a comprehensive and proactive security strategy, including immediate aerial and ground operations to flush out criminal elements from surrounding forests.
Ochetoha K’Idoma specifically identified a security corridor stretching from the abandoned Otobi Irrigation Project through Efu’Ogwanokwu in Ohimini Local Government Area, Otukpo-Nobi, and extending to Raav in Gwer Local Government Area, describing it as a known sanctuary for kidnappers and armed groups.
The group also demanded the establishment of permanent security outposts at strategic entry and exit points to prevent armed groups from using forested areas as operational bases.
Despite the rising insecurity, Ochetoha K’Idoma said the Idoma people would not be intimidated or displaced, insisting on justice for the victims and the restoration of peace in the area.
The organisation said it remained open to constructive engagement with the federal and state governments, as well as security agencies, to achieve lasting security and stability in Benue South.
