Senate Calls for Urgent Military Deployment as Benue Killings Spark National Security Alarm

The nation’s security leadership, including General Olufemi Oluyede, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and Olatunji Disu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), have been urged by the Senate to step up coordinated efforts to capture the perpetrators of a recent wave of killings in Benue State.

In order to restore law and order, the Senate also called on the federal government to send more military and paramilitary forces to the Apa Local Government Area and other impacted areas of the state right now.

The Upper Chamber’s Committees on Police Affairs, the Army, Defense, and Intelligence to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the recurring attacks in Benue South and across the state, with a view to recommending sustainable solutions.

It also directed the establishment of a Police Area Command and a military base in Apa and Agatu Local Government Areas, while calling for increased funding to security agencies to boost intelligence gathering, surveillance and rapid response capabilities in vulnerable communities.

The Senate urged the Federal Government to develop a long-term strategy to tackle farmer-herder conflicts through ranching policies, land use reforms and community-based conflict resolution mechanisms.

The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of victims of the Ankpali-Edikwu attack.

Senate Resolutions for Wednesday followed a motion sponsored by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, PDP, Benue South.

In his presentation, Senator Moro raised the alarm over what he described as the gruesome killings of several residents in Ankpali-Edikwu, Apa Local Government Area, on April 12, 2026.

He claimed that suspected armed herdsmen were responsible for the attacks.

He said that the incident reflects a disturbing pattern of recurring violence across rural communities in Benue state, resulting in loss of lives, displacement of residents and destruction of property.

Moro voiced concern that the ongoing insecurity, especially in Apa and other parts of the state, has caused widespread dread, interfered with farming operations, and seriously jeopardized the region’s food security.

He stated that the Senate questioned the effectiveness of current security measures and that the government’s main duty is to safeguard people and property, citing the attacks’ growing regularity and brutality.

He said that while the Senate praised security services’ continued efforts, it also emphasized the need to change the nation’s security architecture to one that is more proactive, intelligence-driven, and community-based.

However, a resolution calling on the governor of Benue State to assume more responsibility for safeguarding people and property was not put to a vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.