The Senate on Thursday ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to urgently investigate the killing of 113 persons, including six mobile police officers, in a series of attacks on communities in Benue State, while directing security chiefs to step up operations to prevent further bloodshed.
The lawmakers also urged the Chief of Army Staff and heads of other security and intelligence agencies to intensify operations in the affected areas to prevent further attacks and protect vulnerable communities.
The resolutions followed a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Memga Udende (APC, Benue North-East) over recurring killings in Ukum, Katsina-Ala and Logo Local Government Areas of the state.
Presenting the motion, Udende said the attacks had resulted in significant loss of lives, destruction of property and displacement of residents, while disrupting farming and other economic activities in the affected communities.
He listed the incidents to include the killing of 24 persons in Sai, Katsina-Ala LGA; 63 in Bom and Aboajio villages in Ukum LGA; and 15 persons, including six Mobile Police officers, in Ayilamo, Logo LGA.
He also cited the killing of 11 persons in Tse Biliji and Tse Shishi Nyako villages in Ukum LGA on October 8, 2026.
The four incidents brought the reported death toll to 113, according to the senator, who called for urgent intervention to address the recurring violence.
The Senate condemned the killings and observed a minute of silence in honour of the victims. It also expressed condolences to their families and the Nigeria Police Force over the death of its personnel.
The lawmakers further called for the establishment of effective early-warning and rapid-response mechanisms to enable security agencies to respond promptly to threats and prevent further loss of life.
They urged the security chiefs to sustain operations in the affected communities and strengthen intelligence gathering to identify and apprehend those responsible for the attacks.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, expressed concern over the killing of security personnel, warning that the situation raised questions about the safety of residents who lacked the means to defend themselves.
‘If military personnel and other armed security officers are killed in these attacks, what happens to communities that have no means of defending themselves? We must bring this matter to the attention of the Service Chiefs so that they can take appropriate action to strengthen security in the affected areas’.