Renowned legal practitioner and social justice advocate, Barrister Aida Nath Ogwuche, has penned a powerful open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling for immediate and decisive measures to arrest the growing wave of insecurity and violence devastating Benue State.
In the strongly-worded letter titled “Benue Is Bleeding,” Ogwuche delivered a compelling account of the deteriorating conditions in the state, where entire communities—particularly in rural areas—are being ravaged by incessant killings, abductions, and forced displacements.
She painted a grim reality of helpless citizens fleeing their ancestral homes, farmlands being deserted, and livelihoods being crushed under the weight of unrelenting attacks.
Her plea comes in the wake of a particularly horrific incident in Yelewata, a community in Guma Local Government Area, where more than 200 people reportedly lost their lives in a single night of violence. The attack, according to Ogwuche, is emblematic of a broader breakdown of law and order across the state.
“Benue, once celebrated as the food basket of Nigeria, is now rapidly degenerating into a vast graveyard,” she wrote, blaming the descent into chaos on unchecked violence and a troubling lack of political response. The growing silence from federal authorities, she argued, has emboldened armed groups and intensified the suffering of innocent civilians.
Ogwuche expressed deep concern that the worsening security crisis is now threatening the very existence of local communities. “This is not merely a law enforcement issue; it is an existential threat. Our people are broken, displaced, and living in fear. Entire towns have been emptied, and farms—the economic lifeblood of the region—are now inaccessible,” she lamented.
Travel across the region, she noted, has become perilous. “Our roads are overrun by gunmen. For many, journeying from one town to another is now a gamble with death. Farmers, who once nourished the nation, are no longer able to access their fields during the critical planting season,” Ogwuche stressed.
In the letter, she urged President Tinubu to demonstrate leadership and empathy by acting swiftly to contain the crisis. Her recommendations include the immediate deployment of more security personnel to hotspots across the state, a coordinated security initiative in partnership with neighbouring states to tighten border control, and the strengthening of intelligence and early-warning systems to prevent attacks.
Ogwuche also called for the establishment of community-based security structures and urged the President to declare a state of emergency in the most affected local government areas. This, she argued, would help concentrate federal resources and attention on a region teetering on the edge of humanitarian collapse.
Her letter reflects the rising tide of frustration and despair among citizens, civic leaders, and advocacy groups who are increasingly disillusioned by what they see as the federal government’s indifference to the unending bloodshed in the Middle Belt region.
By putting pen to paper and raising her voice, Barrister Ogwuche joins the growing chorus of Nigerians demanding not just words, but concrete action to restore peace, rebuild trust, and revive hope in Benue and beyond.