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Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, has warned that escalating bandit attacks in Benue State could lead to widespread hunger, as farmers have been displaced and farmlands abandoned.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE TV on Thursday, Aondoakaa said the worsening security situation requires urgent action, stressing that politics must be set aside to prevent a looming humanitarian crisis.
“This is a situation where politics should be completely set aside. You are talking about a state where about 80 per cent of the people are farmers, and these farmers have been displaced. There is a potential danger of hunger that is even more serious than the mayhem being caused by the bandits,” he said.
Farmlands Under Threat
Aondoakaa raised concerns over the increasing movement of bandits into the Benue Valley, particularly Benue State, where he said communities are being overrun and agricultural activities disrupted.
He cited Ukum Local Government Area as a major flashpoint, revealing that bandits have occupied 10 out of its 13 wards. According to him, insurgents have reportedly settled less than three kilometres from the main market in Ukum — a key hub for yam production in the country.
“At the main market in Ukum, which produces yams for the country, bandits have settled less than three kilometres away. That is alarming,” he said.
Call for Decisive Military Action
Recalling strategies employed during the administration of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Aondoakaa said the government at the time adopted a zero-tolerance approach to banditry.
“There was no mercy for bandits. Anywhere we heard they were concentrating, the military moved in to flush them out,” he recalled.
He urged the current government to take similarly decisive action, warning that failure to do so could deepen food insecurity not just in Benue, but across the country.
Advocates International Collaboration
The former justice minister also called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria and international partners, particularly the United States, to combat banditry.
According to him, such cooperation does not undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty but strengthens its security capacity.
“Collaborating with the U.S. or any other country to flush out bandits does not in any way undermine the integrity of this country. It goes beyond having faith in government; it requires practical action,” he said.
Aondoakaa referenced the recent joint security operation in Sokoto State, involving Nigerian and U.S. forces, describing it as a model that should be replicated in other troubled areas.
“Nigeria provided the intelligence. The Americans did not just come here on their own. That collaboration worked, and it should be applied anywhere bandits are concentrating,” he added.
Urgent Need for Action in Benue
He urged the federal government to deploy similar joint operations in Benue State, either through the Nigerian Air Force or in partnership with foreign allies, to prevent further destruction.
“Where bandits are concentrating, there is a need for immediate action. Either the Nigerian Air Force moves in, or the same collaboration that happened in Sokoto should be replicated,” he said.
Aondoakaa concluded by emphasising that swift and coordinated security action is critical to safeguarding lives, restoring farming activities, and preventing a looming hunger crisis in Benue State.
