Join our WhatsApp channel HERE for the latest Benue news and updates!
Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Democratic Congress (ADC), Engr. Andrew Aba, has strongly asserted that insecurity in Benue State can be decisively addressed through concrete, deliberate action rather than continued rhetoric and lip service.
In a statement circulated widely on social media platforms today, Aba described insecurity as an “evil that demands deliberate action” and insisted that meaningful progress requires bold, results-oriented leadership. The aspirant, who is vying for the ADC ticket ahead of the 2027 Benue governorship election, drew from his personal experience to back his claims.
Aba recounted how he once led a community-based security initiative along Victor Malu Road in New GRA, Makurdi, an area previously plagued by armed robbery and fear. According to him, after a critical incident, residents collaborated with local vigilantes and the Nigerian Police Force to establish a coordinated security architecture. The effort, which he personally funded—including covering operational costs and donating a building structure—transformed the neighbourhood.
“After a critical incident, we took decisive steps and flushed out the criminals. For six years, that community became one of the safest areas in Makurdi. People slept peacefully, and there were no complaints of crime,” he said. He added that the initiative benefited over 500 residents and demonstrated that security challenges can be tackled effectively even on a small scale.
“If I say security can be fixed in Benue State, I know what I’m talking about. I’ve done it on a small scale. With the mandate to govern, I can do it on a larger scale,” Aba declared.
The aspirant lamented what he called persistent “lip service” to the insecurity problem in the state, pointing to the recent abduction of nine Catholic worshippers from St. John’s Catholic Church in Ojije, Utonkonkon district, Ado Local Government Area—located in the Benue South Senatorial District—as a glaring example of ongoing threats. He accused the current government and its allies of denial and failure to act decisively, describing repeated attacks across Benue as “genocidal assaults with practical evidence on ground.”
If elected governor in 2027, Aba pledged to make peace and security the top priority of his administration. He outlined plans to deploy technology-driven security measures to track and neutralize criminal elements, flush out bandits and kidnappers, facilitate the safe return of displaced persons to their ancestral homes, and end the relocation of internally displaced people while criminals continue to occupy their lands.
“We will ask criminals to leave peacefully or face the full weight of the law. Displaced people must return to their ancestral lands, not be relocated elsewhere while criminals occupy their homes,” he stated firmly.
Aba assured that under his leadership, no part of the state would serve as a safe haven for criminals, vowing that peace would be restored through proactive, intelligence-led, and community-supported strategies. His comments come amid heightened public concern over the resurgence of violent incidents in parts of Benue, including abductions, farmer-herder clashes, and banditry.
