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Prominent Benue-born political figure and former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrims Commission, Chief Bemgba Iortyom, has strongly opposed the inclusion of Benue State in the newly proposed Northern Security Trust Fund that requires each of the 19 northern states to contribute ₦1 billion monthly.
Speaking on Saturday morning, Iortyom described the arrangement as potentially disastrous for Benue, arguing that the state’s peculiar security challenges – dominated by sustained herdsmen attacks, farmer-herder clashes, and widespread displacement – are fundamentally different from the insurgency-focused threats in many core northern states.
He warned that committing ₦1 billion every month to a regional fund could severely drain Benue’s already stretched resources without guaranteeing that the money would be channeled toward addressing the state’s specific needs.
“Benue is not Borno, Yobe or Zamfara. Our security reality is unique,” Iortyom reportedly said. “Before we sign up to remit ₦12 billion yearly into a central pool, we must ask hard questions: Who controls the fund? How will the money be allocated? What guarantees do we have that Benue’s priorities will not be sidelined again?”
The proposed Northern Security Trust Fund has been making the rounds in northern political circles as part of efforts to create a sustainable financing mechanism for regional counter-insurgency and peacekeeping operations. While some northern governors have signaled interest, the details of governance, transparency, and disbursement remain sketchy.
Iortyom insisted that Benue should either push for special consideration within any regional framework or focus on strengthening existing state-level initiatives such as the Community Volunteer Guards (Livestock Guards) and pressing the federal government to fully implement previous security commitments made to the state.
“Benue taxpayers’ money must directly address Benue problems,” he stressed. “We cannot afford to export scarce resources to fight other people’s battles while our own communities remain under siege.”
As at the time of this report, the Benue State Government has not issued any official position on whether it supports or rejects inclusion in the ₦1 billion-per-month arrangement.
The development comes barely 24 hours after the Benue Buffalos Handball Team was attacked and robbed by gunmen on Otukpo Road, further underscoring the state’s ongoing struggle with armed criminality and highway insecurity.
