By Austine Agbo Emmanuel

The Ochetoha K’Idoma Forum Worldwide has called on the Federal Government to take immediate and decisive action to halt the wave of killings in Benue South, alleging that security agencies ignored advance intelligence that could have prevented the recent massacre in Otukpo Local Government Area.

The apex socio-cultural organisation of the Idoma nation made the call in a strongly worded press statement dated 12 July 2026, jointly signed by its President General, Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu, and Secretary General, Chief Dr. Paul Edeh, following the killing of no fewer than 20 persons in coordinated attacks on Akpachi-Ugboju and Otukpo’nobi communities.

The statement was addressed to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Governor of Benue State, the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, the Inspector General of Police and the international community.

Expressing what it described as “profound grief and a burning sense of outrage,” the organisation said the latest killings were another painful reminder of the worsening insecurity confronting communities across Idomaland and called for urgent intervention before more lives are lost.

According to the forum, the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji, received credible intelligence before the attacks and immediately alerted the relevant security authorities.

“The Och’Idoma received prior intelligence about the planned attack and immediately alerted the relevant security officials. That warning was ignored. The security agencies had actionable information and failed to act on it.”

The statement further declared: “The blood of every victim is therefore not merely on the hands of the assailants, but also on those who received warning and did nothing.”

The organisation maintained that the attacks could have been prevented had timely action been taken on the intelligence received by security agencies.

Among those reportedly killed were Onche, a driver, Ujah, Adoji, Juliet Ona and Eyum, while Efada Ohepo, Ebedigidi and several others sustained varying degrees of injuries. It added that many residents remain unaccounted for, raising fears that the death toll may rise.

The forum lamented that behind every victim was a grieving family whose lives had been permanently altered, stressing that the victims were citizens entitled to the protection guaranteed under the Constitution.

One of the most striking aspects of the tragedy, according to Ochetoha, was the decision by grieving residents to carry the bodies of the victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma.

The organisation described the development as unprecedented, explaining that under Idoma tradition, corpses are never taken to the palace of the paramount ruler.

“When a people cast aside their most sacred custom to lay their dead before the throne of their king, it is because sorrow has crossed every boundary and anger has nowhere left to go. That single act is the truest measure of this atrocity.”

Ochetoha said the latest killings were part of a cycle of violence that has plagued Benue South for more than a decade despite repeated appeals by community leaders for stronger security measures.

It recalled that in the weeks preceding the attacks, community leaders had consistently urged youths to exercise maximum restraint in the interest of peace, but lamented that such restraint had not been matched by adequate protection from the authorities.

The organisation also criticised what it described as selective enforcement of justice, alleging that following the killing of Fulani leader Alhaji Ardo Risku Mohammed in Ohimini, innocent residents, including an elderly man over 80 years of age and local vigilantes, were arrested, while individuals who allegedly issued threats against Idoma communities on social media were left untouched.

The statement declared: “Justice that is selective is not justice. Let no one mistake our restraint for weakness.”

The group further raised fresh security concerns, alleging that armed men are gathering in forests surrounding several communities and may be preparing for additional attacks.

It warned: “We are telling the President and security agencies today, in advance and in writing, where the next blood will be spilled. If these attacks proceed, no one in authority can claim they were not warned.”

The forum urged the Federal Government and security agencies to act swiftly to prevent another round of bloodshed.

Among its demands are the immediate deployment of security forces to surrounding forests to confront and dislodge those gathering to attack communities, the arrest and prosecution of persons who allegedly issued threats on social media, the unconditional release of innocent residents and vigilantes detained in connection with the Ohimini incident, a thorough intelligence-led manhunt for the perpetrators of the massacres, and urgent relief, shelter and medical care for the displaced, wounded and bereaved.

While reaffirming that criminality should not be attributed to any ethnic group, Ochetoha stressed that responsibility for the killings rests solely with those who carried them out and urged that innocent communities should not suffer collective blame.

The organisation also appealed to Idoma people at home and in the diaspora to remain vigilant, united and law abiding despite the pain and provocation, urging them not to resort to reprisals.

The statement concluded: “We have begged for peace, but we will not buy peace with the lives of our children. The Idoma nation is a people of honour, dignity, and courage. The blood of the innocent cries out from the soil, and we are watching and so is God, and so is history.”

The organisation called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the nation’s security leadership to take immediate and decisive action to end the recurring attacks, protect vulnerable communities and restore public confidence in the ability of the state to safeguard the lives and property of all Nigerians.