Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, has raised alarm over the risk of hunger in Benue State due to bandit attacks that have displaced farmers and destroyed farmlands.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Aondoakaa said politics must be set aside in addressing the crisis.
“This is a situation that politics should be completely set aside because you are talking of a situation where 80 per cent in Benue State are farmers and the farmers have been displaced. There’s a potential danger of hunger that’s more serious than the mayhem being caused by the bandits,” he said.
Aondoakaa warned that bandits are increasingly moving into the Benue Valley, particularly around Benue State, causing widespread destruction. He cited the situation in Ukum Local Government Area, where out of 13 wards, 10 are under bandit occupation. He said insurgents had settled less than three kilometres from the main market in Okum, a major yam-producing hub.
He expressed concern over the growing bandit presence in Benue State. “ As the bandits are moving away from Sokoto, concentrating within the Benue Valley, particularly around Benue State and their environs, causing mayhem. My understanding is that the ground forces will move on them within the Benue axis. But it looks like, from what you said, they have come in numbers. They are overturning villages. I will give you a particular local government, which is the Ukum local government. Out of 13 wards, there’s an occupation of 10 wards. You can, at the main market in Ukum, which is the exact main market that produces yams for the country, they have settled less than three kilometers away from the main market. And that is alarming. ”
Recalling past approaches during former President Umaru Yar’adua’s administration, Aondoakaa said the government adopted a zero-tolerance policy on bandits.
“When this crisis started, During the President Yar’adua’s time, because I always refer where I was an active participant, what the government adopted was no mercy. There was zero tolerance of mercy on the bandits. Anywhere we heard there was concentration, our military used to go there to flush them out.
“This is a situation that politics should be completely set aside because you are talking of a situation where 80% in Benue state, 80% are farmers and the farmers have been displaced. There’s a potential danger of hunger that’s moving more serious than the mayhem being caused by the bandits. ,” he added.
He called for collaboration between Nigeria and international partners, especially the United States of America to address the crisis.
“I still think that collaborating with U.S. or any other country to flush out the bandits does not in any way undermine the integrity of this country. I have faith, great hope, in the security architecture of President Bola Tinubu now. But it goes beyond having faith in government. It goes to practical action. And this action entails that government of Nigeria must collaborate with sister countries, neighbouring countries, and collaborate with U.S. to put a stop to this mayhem because there’s no purpose for this mandate,” he said.
Aondoakaa also called for continued collaboration between the Nigerian and United States governments to tackle the rising wave of banditry in Benue State.
He said his recent call for foreign collaboration was made in good faith and did not undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
“My call was in good faith. It did not in any way undermine the sovereignty of this country. If you get from what transpired, the Nigerian government said they acted, they gave the intelligence to the Americans. The Americans did not just come here. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was emphatic that the strike in Sokoto was a collaboration between the Americans and the Nigerian government. Nigeria gave them the intelligence.” he said.
He explained that the recent strike in Sokoto State, which involved both Nigerian and U.S. forces, should serve as a model for operations in other areas where bandits are concentrating.
He urged the Nigerian government to replicate the Sokoto collaboration in Benue, either through the Nigerian Air Force or with international partners, to prevent further mayhem.
“Now, what I said is that there should be the same collaboration between the Nigerian government and U.S. government to flush them out anywhere they are trying to concentrate in a group,” he said.
He added, “Anywhere there is collaboration, there’s concentration. The bandits are concentrating. There’s need for either the Nigerian Air Force to move in, or if they do not have the capacity, then the same collaboration that happened with the U.S. government to flush them out,” he said.
Reflecting on past efforts, Aondoakaa highlighted that during former President Umar Yar’adua’s administration, the military took decisive action against bandits whenever they were detected. He said political considerations must be set aside given the scale of displacement and the potential threat to food security in Benue, where 80 per cent of the population are farmers.
He said, “When this crisis started, During the President Yar’adua’s time, because I always refer where I was an active participant, what the government adopted was no mercy. There was zero tolerance of mercy on the bandits. Anywhere we heard there was concentration, our military used to go there to flush them out. This is a situation that politics should be completely set aside because you are talking of a situation where 80% in Benue state, 80% are farmers and the farmers have been displaced. There’s a potential danger of hunger that’s moving more serious than the mayhem being caused by the bandits.
“And this is why I still think that collaborating with U.S. or any other country to flush out the bandits does not in any way undermine the integrity of this country. I have faith, great hope, in the security architecture of President Bola Tinubu now. But it goes beyond having faith in government. It goes to practical action. And this action entails that government of Nigeria must collaborate with sister countries, neighboring countries, and collaborate with U.S. to pay stop to this mayhem because there’s no purpose for this mandate.”
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