Hon. Kennedy Angbo, the member representing Otukpo/Akpa State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, has called for the urgent legalisation and empowerment of community-based self-defense mechanisms to protect residents from relentless attacks.
Speaking during an interview with Channels Television in Abuja, Hon. Angbo made the appeal following the gruesome killing of 11 people—including children and the elderly—in the Otobi-Akpa community by suspected herdsmen.
Describing the deteriorating security situation in Benue as a “state of war,” Angbo accused violent non-state actors of orchestrating what he termed a “systemic ethnic cleansing” and “attempted annexation” of Benue lands.
“The latest killings in Otukpo and other parts of Benue reveal the failure of the current security architecture. It is overstretched and unable to protect our people,” he said.
“Self-defense is no longer optional. It has become inevitable,” Angbo stated firmly. “Our communities must be empowered to protect themselves—they cannot be left at the mercy of marauders.”
The lawmaker stressed the need for a legislative framework that supports the arming, training, and official recognition of community vigilante groups. According to him, such measures would enable swift and effective responses to coordinated attacks that often catch conventional security forces off guard.
“Security agents cannot be everywhere at once, and these attackers strike in coordinated waves from multiple directions. We must give our communities the legal means to defend their homes and farmlands,” he emphasized.
Angbo further revealed that prior to the Otobi-Akpa massacre, a threatening social media post allegedly made by one Ahmed Bashir had warned of impending violence—yet no preventive security measures were put in place.
“Despite repeated warnings and signs, the necessary security presence was not established in time to avert this tragedy,” he lamented.
He concluded with a call for decisive legislative and executive action: “This is not the time for rhetoric. We need bold laws and swift implementation. We must make self-defense lawful—or continue burying our people.”
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