By Chioma Okoye

Amid rising insecurity in Benue State, renowned legal practitioner and justice advocate, Barrister Aida Nath Ogwuche, has written a passionate open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling for immediate intervention to end the ongoing bloodshed ravaging communities across the state.

In the letter titled “Benue Is Bleeding,” Ogwuche expressed deep anguish over the unrelenting violent attacks, kidnappings, and killings, especially in rural farming areas. She noted that these incidents have turned farmlands into graveyards and driven thousands from their homes.

Her plea follows a particularly devastating attack on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, where over 200 lives were reportedly lost.

Ogwuche warned that Benue, once regarded as the “Food Basket of the Nation,” is now becoming synonymous with violence and despair due to what she termed government inaction and growing lawlessness.

In her words, “The recent wave of violent attacks, kidnappings, and bloodshed has plunged our people into fear, crippling livelihoods and paralyzing the economy of a state largely sustained by farming.”

She urged the President to urgently:

Deploy more security personnel to Benue State.

Collaborate with neighboring states to tighten border security.

Enhance intelligence gathering and community security efforts.

Address the root causes of the violence with sustainable solutions.

Declare a state of emergency in the most affected areas.

Ogwuche concluded with a passionate appeal for the President to act swiftly, stressing that “lives hang in the balance” and that the people of Benue deserve to live in peace and security.

Her letter has since stirred national attention, highlighting the worsening humanitarian crisis in the region and the growing calls for proactive leadership at the federal level.