Oluwafunbi Bello 
The Chairman of Agatu Local Government Council, Benue State, James Melvin Ejeh
BENUE, Nigeria – The Chairman of Agatu Local Government Council in Benue State, Ambassador James Melvin Ejeh, raises a fresh security alert following renewed violent attacks linked to an alleged influx of armed groups into the area.
Ejeh says the attacks intensify after recent joint United States–Nigerian airstrikes targeting terrorist camps in Sokoto State, forcing fleeing fighters into neighbouring regions.
In a statement issued in Makurdi on Friday, he warns that Agatu communities now face escalating insecurity. “Lives have been lost, women assaulted, farmlands destroyed and families displaced,” Ejeh says, describing the situation as a growing humanitarian and security crisis.
The council chairman, who also serves as Deputy Chairman of ALGON in Benue, condemns what he calls persistent attacks on Agatu people on their ancestral land, calling the violence “unjustifiable and unacceptable”.
In response, Ejeh announces the immediate revocation of a 2017 grazing agreement that allowed herders access to Adepati Island, declaring the pact invalid and harmful. “No part of Agatu land belongs to herders under any circumstances,” he states, ordering all armed herders to leave the area immediately.
He stresses that Agatu is predominantly agrarian and warns that continued encroachment threatens food security and livelihoods.
Ejeh appeals to the Federal Government and security agencies to deploy additional forces, noting that current measures remain inadequate. While commending Governor Hyacinth Alia and Operation Whirl Stroke, he confirms arrests have been made and vows prosecution of anyone aiding insecurity.
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Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Mirian Gom 
Hussaini Ibrahim