The Senate has directed the Inspector-General of Police and Service Chiefs to launch a comprehensive investigation into coordinated violent attacks that claimed the lives of 113 individuals in Benue State.
The parliamentary directive followed a motion of urgent national importance presented during plenary on Thursday, October 22, 2026, by Senator Emmanuel Memga Udende, representing Benue North-East.
The red chamber condemned the killings in strong terms, observing a minute of silence in honor of the deceased victims, who include six officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
The legislative intervention comes amidst heightened security concerns following persistent armed incursions across farming communities in Ukum, Katsina-Ala, and Logo Local Government Areas.
Lawmakers expressed concern over the escalating violence, noting that the loss of tactical security personnel leaves unarmed rural populations increasingly vulnerable to systematic attacks.
In response to the crisis, the Senate urged federal security agencies to establish operational early-warning mechanisms and rapid-response units to thwart potential incursions before casualties occur.
Speaking on the floor of the chamber, Senate President Godswill Akpabio raised alarm over the targeting of security forces deployed to protect rural settlements. “If military personnel and other armed security officers are killed in these attacks, what happens to communities that have no means of defending themselves?” Akpabio stated.
“We must bring this matter to the attention of the Service Chiefs so that they can take appropriate action to strengthen security in the affected areas”.
To ensure enforcement, the upper legislative body directed its Committee on Resolutions and Compliance to liaise with relevant security agencies to determine necessary personnel deployments for the affected districts.
Additionally, the Senate mandated the National Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, to immediately dispatch food and non-food relief materials to assist displaced survivors and injured victims.
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