An Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has called on the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Waidi Shaibu, to urgently end the ongoing killings and insecurity ravaging the North-Central region of Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Olajengbesi said the new Army Chief, who hails from Kogi State, must take decisive action to restore peace and stability to his home region, which has been gripped by relentless bloodshed.
“For the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS) who hails from Kogi State in North Central Nigeria, charity should begin at home; he should crush those ruthless marauders killing innocent Nigerians in Plateau, Benue, Kwara, and Kogi, all in the North Central zone. He must stop the carnage,” Olajengbesi stated.
The lawyer decried the escalating violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in the region, particularly in parts of Benue and Plateau States.
“The North-Central zone has suffered so many senseless killings in 2025 alone as dark-hearted monsters wreak havoc from Yelewata, Guma, Makurdi and other areas in Benue to Riyom, Bassa and other hotspots in Plateau. Hundreds have been sent to their early graves by bandits who are relentless in their evil agenda,” he lamented.
Olajengbesi described the harrowing aftermath of the attacks, noting that entire communities have been destroyed and families displaced.
“The assailants leave mass graves and burnt houses and farmlands in the wake of their untold destruction in the North Central zone, with religious leaders like Plateau-based cleric, Evangelist Ezekiel Dachomo, left to conduct mass funerals every market day,” he said.
He added that the violence has now spread beyond the usual flashpoints, reaching the Yagba area of Kogi State and several parts of Kwara State, including Baruten, Edu, Ekiti, Ifelodun, Isin, Kaiama, Oke-Ero, Patigi, and Irepodun.
“The new army chief must move fast and save the zone from the enemies of Nigeria,” Olajengbesi charged. “Major General Shaibu should reinforce the troops of 148 Battalion (Rear) in Kogi and Kwara. He should recalibrate Operation Safe Haven (now renamed as Operation Enduring Peace) in Plateau.”
The lawyer further urged the military high command to overhaul troop formations across Benue, Niger, and Nasarawa States, infusing new strategies and motivation to strengthen the fight against banditry and terrorism.
“Designated troop formations in Benue, Niger and Nasarawa should be re-organised with fresh strategies and the right motivation injected. For Major General Shaibu, charity should begin at home,” he stressed.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had on Friday announced a major shake-up in the nation’s security architecture, appointing new service chiefs. General Olufemi Oluyede replaced General Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff, while Major General Waidi Shaibu was named Chief of Army Staff. Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke was appointed Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas became new Chief of Naval Staff.
