Lawyers under the aegis of the Association of Idoma Lawyers (Owa Ka’Okepo Ki’Idoma) have urged the United States and Israel to extend military intervention to communities in Benue South Senatorial District over the persistent killings by terrorists.
The lawyers made the call while condemning an attack on Akpa-Otobi Community in Otukpo Local Government Area by suspected Fulani herders, which led to the death of about four persons on Tuesday.
They made the call in a statement jointly signed by the group’s leader, Godwin Obla, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and its president, Joshua Musa, also SAN, on Friday.
“We are calling on the United States of America and the State of Israel to extend their military intervention to Benue South Senatorial District to secure our land, protect lives and property and help guarantee the dignity of the human person,” the statement said.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that suspected armed herders killed five people in Akpa-Otobi, including Igbabe Ochi, a former House of Assembly candidate for the Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency in the 2019 election.
The attack occurred at about 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday, following a failed kidnap attempt in the community on Sunday night.
Reacting to the incident, the lawyers said Nigeria, having portrayed itself as a civilised nation, must urgently enforce the constitution and other penal laws to defend Idoma land and its people.
They added that they are “aware that US military intervention has brought relief to communities in the Northwest and North-east.
“The State of Israel has also volunteered to assist in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. Be it known that the scourge of mindless killings started in Agatu, where tens of thousands have lost their lives without adequate media coverage,” they said.
The lawyers said “the brutal attacks must stop” as their people have been *pushed to the wall” and if help does not come, they may be compelled to resort to self-defence.
‘What Idoma people have faced’
The lawyers said no community in Nigeria has suffered what the Idoma people in Agatu have faced, citing killings, rape, arson, poisoning of streams, destruction of aquatic life, and devastation of crops and economic trees worth hundreds of millions of naira.
Describing the actions of armed herders as “wicked, dehumanising and unacceptable,” the group called on security agencies to respond with renewed vigour.
They cited the constitutional rights of people to their farmlands, guaranteed under section 43 of the Nigerian constitution, and are being violated, leaving the economic and socio-cultural lives of the people in jeopardy.
They decried government neglect at federal and state levels. “WE HAVE A RIGHT TO LIFE as guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). Our lives matter,” the statement said.
The group urged state and federal authorities to prioritise the incessant attacks in Otukpo, Ohimini, Apa, and Agatu Local Government Areas, and asked authorities to assess losses and compensate victims.
Persistent attacks spark calls for foreign military intervention
The pattern of insecurity in Benue South Senatorial District has heightened the call for expanded foreign military intervention.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that Otobi Community in Otukpo Local Government Area has been a frequent target.
On 15 April 2025, the community suffered an attack in which 13 persons were killed.
About two weeks later, three residents were killed at the Omebe axis of Otobi.
Shortly before the Tuesday attack that also took the life of a former commissioner, gunmen opened fire on a Benue Links bus along the Otukpo axis, injuring three passengers.
Just this year, violence continued across Benue State, including the killing of a retired Nigerian Army officer in Otukpo, who had his wife and infant child abducted, the killing of two security operatives, a soldier and an NSCDC officer, in Kwande Local Government Area, and the earlier death of five farmers during harvest activities in the same area.
The violence is part of a broader wave of attacks across Benue, including the June 2025 massacre in Yelwata, which claimed over 100 lives.
It also reflects a wider pattern of armed attacks across Nigeria, where gunmen continue to target civilians in multiple regions.
As part of a wider counter terrorism strategy, the Nigerian government, in collaboration with the United States, carried out an airstrike against ISIS militants in Sokoto in December 2025.
Despite that intervention, attacks on vulnerable communities have persisted.
Residents and local leaders have consistently condemned the violence. Kennedy Angbo, a lawmaker representing Otukpo‑Akpa State Constituency, described the situation as “unbearable,” linking the recent killings to earlier attacks in the area and urging security agencies to act decisively to protect lives and restore peace.
