Otukpo killings: ‘Security agencies ignored initial warnings’, Ochetoha K’Idoma reveals, demands action

The Ochetoha K’Idoma Forum Worldwide, the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Idoma people, has demanded immediate action from the Federal Government and security agencies following the recent killings in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, warning that more attacks could occur if urgent steps are not taken.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday

jointly signed by the President General of Ochetoha K’Idoma Forum Worldwide, Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu, and the Secretary General, Chief Dr. Paul Edeh, the group said no fewer than 20 people were killed in attacks on Akpachi-Ugboju and Otukpo’nobi communities on Friday and Saturday by suspected armed herders. Blueprint reports

The organisation described the attacks as “barbaric and unprovoked massacres,” alleging that the tragedy could have been prevented if security agencies had acted on prior intelligence reportedly provided by the paramount ruler of the Idoma nation, the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo Obagaji.

According to the group, the traditional ruler had received information about the planned attacks and immediately alerted relevant security authorities, but no action was taken to prevent the bloodshed.

“The security agencies had actionable information and failed to act on it. 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 statement read.

Victims identified

The group said among those killed in the attacks were persons identified as Onche, a driver, Ujah, Adoji, Juliet Ona and Eyum, while several others, including Efada Ohepo and Ebedigidi, sustained injuries.

It noted that many residents are still unaccounted for following the attacks, raising fears that the death toll could rise further.

The forum lamented that behind every victim was a grieving family whose lives had been permanently altered by the violence.

“They were citizens of Nigeria, and the state, which is constitutionally bound to protect them, failed to do so,” the organisation stated.

Corpses taken to Och’Idoma’s palace

In one of the most emotional aspects of the tragedy, Ochetoha K’Idoma said grieving residents took the bodies of the slain victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma in protest.

The group described the action as unprecedented, noting that in Idoma culture, corpses are traditionally never brought to the palace of the paramount ruler.

According to the statement, the act underscored the depth of the pain, frustration and anger among the people.

“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,” the statement added.

Decade of bloodshed

The forum said the latest killings were part of a long pattern of attacks that have plagued communities in Benue State for more than a decade.

It accused the authorities of failing to protect vulnerable communities despite repeated warnings and appeals.

The organisation said it had consistently urged youths in the area to exercise restraint and avoid reprisals despite the recurring attacks.

According to the group, the law-abiding posture of the people has not been reciprocated by the authorities.

The statement also referenced the killing of a Fulani Ardo in Ohimini Local Government Area last month, alleging that security agencies swiftly arrested innocent residents and local vigilantes while those who openly threatened violence on social media were left untouched.

“Justice that is selective is not justice. Let no one mistake our restraint for weakness,” the group declared.

Warning of fresh attacks

The forum further raised the alarm that intelligence reports indicate that armed men are gathering in forests surrounding several communities in preparation for further attacks.

It said it was putting the warning on public record to ensure that no authority could later claim ignorance should another attack occur.

“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 statement said.

The organisation added that where the government fails to protect citizens, communities may be compelled to exercise their constitutional right to self-defence.

Demands to government

The Ochetoha K’Idoma Forum made several demands, including the immediate deployment of security personnel to forests surrounding affected communities to flush out suspected attackers.

The group also called for the arrest and prosecution of individuals who allegedly issued threats of violence on social media.

It further demanded the unconditional release of innocent residents and vigilantes detained in connection with the Ohimini incident and called for an intelligence-led manhunt to apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the latest killings.

The organisation also urged the government to provide urgent relief materials, shelter and medical support to displaced persons, the wounded and bereaved families.

Call for justice

Addressing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and security chiefs directly, the forum urged the Federal Government to intervene decisively to prevent further bloodshed in Benue communities.

The group maintained that criminality should not be attributed to any ethnic group and insisted that innocent communities must not continue to pay the price for the actions of armed criminals.

It also appealed to Idoma people at home and in the diaspora to remain united and avoid taking the law into their hands despite the pain and anger generated by the attacks.

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