PDP senatorial candidate for Benue North East, Thomas Tyolumun Unongo, on Friday, September 5, 2026, cut short his trip and returned home to stand with the people of Mbazum Council Ward in Ukum Local Government Area, victims of the August 16 attack allegedly carried out by armed Fulani militia.
Unongo arrived in Kyado and proceeded to the palace of the Ter Ukum, HRH Arc. Orkar Kaave, where he sought royal blessings before embarking on a journey of over three hours through nine villages to reach the communities of Bom and Aboaji, the epicentre of the tragedy. At Bom, he met face to face with 59 families who lost loved ones and also visited 33 injured victims receiving treatment, supporting each of them with N100,000.
He announced and donated N20 million in cash to assist with medical bills, burials and relief for families whose livelihoods were shattered. Addressing the grieving crowd, Unongo condemned in strong terms the wanton manslaughter of the people by armed Fulanis. He described the killings as following a coordinated pattern that often occurs at harvest time when residents are busy on their farms and as politics intensifies, aimed at planting fear in the hearts of the people.
Unongo lamented the silence of some stakeholders and politicians who fail to challenge authorities to protect the people. He declared that if by the grace of God he is elected senator in 2027 and an attack of this magnitude happens under his watch without decisive action, he will resign. He stressed that the people deserve a representative who will fight for them, not one who arrives hours after the blood has dried merely to claim they are on top of the situation.
He pledged to use the Senate as a platform to strengthen existing laws and aggressively pursue legislation that will restore lasting peace to Sankera and the entire Benue Zone A. Extending his deepest sympathies to the Tor Sankera, the Ter Ukum and every mourning family, Unongo assured them that their tears would not be in vain, promising to turn the grief into strength and the pain into purpose. The visit ended with prayers and embraces, leaving the people of Mbazum with a sense that they were not alone in their moment of darkness.
