Senate orders crackdown on bandits flaunting crime cash on TikTok

ABUJA, FCT — By Prime Brief Media

The Nigerian Senate has adopted a resolution calling for the establishment of a Police Area Command and a forward military operating base in Apa and Agatu Local Government Areas of Benue State, following a fresh wave of violent attacks that have claimed lives and displaced communities in the border region.

The resolution was passed during plenary on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, after a motion of urgent national importance was moved by the Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District and Senate Minority Leader, Comrade Abba Moro.

Presenting the motion, Senator Moro detailed what he described as the "urgent need for decisive action to address the killings in Ankpali-Edikwu in Apa Local Government Area." He informed the chamber that armed assailants, suspected to be herdsmen militias, have launched repeated attacks on agrarian communities in the area, resulting in fatalities, destruction of farmlands, and mass displacement of residents.

"The people of Apa and Agatu have endured years of unrelenting violence. The absence of a permanent and robust security presence has emboldened the attackers and left our communities vulnerable," Senator Moro stated during his presentation. "This Senate cannot stand idly by while Nigerians are slaughtered in their ancestral homes."

The lawmaker argued that the geographical location of Apa and Agatu, situated along the volatile Benue-Nasarawa boundary and close to the River Benue basin, makes the area a strategic corridor for criminal elements. He noted that previous deployments of mobile police units and military patrols had been temporary and insufficient to deter the persistent raids.

Following contributions from several senators who expressed solidarity with the victims and frustration over the protracted insecurity in Benue State, the Senate adopted the following resolutions:

1. The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Police Affairs and the Nigeria Police Force, should immediately establish a fully equipped Police Area Command in Apa Local Government Area with jurisdiction covering the affected border communities.

2. The Ministry of Defence and the Defence Headquarters should establish a forward military operating base in the Agatu corridor to provide rapid response capability and dominate the contested terrain.

3. The National Emergency Management Agency should urgently deliver relief materials to internally displaced persons currently taking refuge in temporary camps and host communities in the affected local government areas.

4. The Senate Committee on Defence and the Senate Committee on Police Affairs should conduct an oversight visit to the affected areas and report back to the chamber within two weeks.

Benue State has remained one of the epicentres of Nigeria's farmer-herder crisis, with communities in Guma, Logo, Ukum, Apa, and Agatu local government areas bearing the heaviest toll. Despite the existence of Operation Whirl Stroke, a joint military operation covering Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba states, residents have consistently complained that the response time to distress calls is often inadequate due to the vast and difficult terrain.

A community leader in Ankpali-Edikwu who spoke to Prime Brief Media on condition of anonymity confirmed that the most recent attack occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, resulting in the death of three villagers and the burning of several homesteads. "We have been crying for a permanent security base for years. This Senate resolution is welcome, but we need to see action on the ground," the source stated.

Prime Brief Media notes that the Senate's resolution represents a legislative push for concrete security infrastructure in a region that has long felt abandoned by federal security architecture. The effectiveness of the resolution will depend on the responsiveness of the executive arm of government in implementing the Senate's recommendations.

Prime Brief Media continues to monitor the security situation in Benue State and will provide updates on any developments regarding the establishment of the proposed Police Area Command and military base.