Hon Kennedy Angbo, the lawmaker representing Otukpo/Akpa State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, has made a call for the legalisation and empowerment of community-based self-defense systems to protect residents against persistent killings.
Hon Angbo made the remarks during an interview with Channels TV in Abuja following the brutal attack on Otobi-Akpa community, where 11 people, including children and elderly residents, were reportedly killed by suspected herders.
Describing the situation in Benue as a “state of war,”; the lawmaker decried what he termed the “systemic ethnic cleansing”; and “attempted annexation”; of Benue lands by violent non-state actors.
According to him, the recent spate of attacks in Otukpo and other parts of the state confirms that the current security architecture is overstretched and ineffective in preventing such tragedies.
“Self-defense is no longer optional. It is now inevitable,”; Hon. Angbo declared.
“Our people must be empowered to protect themselves. Communities should not be left at the mercy of marauders.”;
He called for urgent legislative backing that would allow for the arming, training and recognition of community vigilante groups to respond swiftly and effectively to threats.
“Security agents cannot be everywhere at the same time, and these attackers come in coordinated waves from different flanks. What we need now is a legal framework that allows communities to defend their homes and farmlands,”; he said.
Angbo also revealed that before the most recent attack, a social media post allegedly made by one Ahmed Bashir had threatened imminent violence a warning that, unfortunately, materialized days later.
“Despite repeated warnings and signals, the necessary security presence was not established in time to prevent this horror,”; he added.
“This is no time for rhetoric. We need legislative courage and executive action to defend our people. We must make self-defense lawful or prepare to keep counting our dead,”; he said.
