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The Deputy Spokesperson of the 10th House of Representatives, Hon Philip Agbese, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to, as a matter of urgent security necessity, establish a military base in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.
The call follows a recent kidnapping incident involving nine worshippers at St. John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Utonkon District, Ado LGA, around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 7, 2026, during a night vigil.
According to residents, the gunmen targeted women and youths while prayers were ongoing, abducting nine worshippers and plunging the community into panic and mourning.
The Executive Chairman of Ado LGC, Engr. Sunday Oche, and the Police Public Relations Officer of the Benue State Command, DSP Udeme Edet, have since confirmed the attack, stating that security teams had been dispatched to rescue the victims.
In a statement personally signed on Monday, Agbese, who represents Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, condemned the attack, describing it as a direct threat to the continued existence of the people of the area, who are largely agrarian.
Agbese stressed that the constant breach of security and incessant kidnapping cases in Ado LGA call for stronger security interventions, saying that only the establishment of a military base in the area would address the situation and enable residents to live comfortably in their ancestral homes.
“This again is another attack that has exposed Ado LGA as a flashpoint as far as insecurity is concerned in Benue State. There is hardly a week that passes without reports of kidnapping activities, many of which go unreported.
“Just a few days ago, we heard of a case involving a man and a woman for whom ransom was reportedly paid. Towards the end of January, there was another case involving two women and a child who were kidnapped and taken to the Utonkon forest. These and other criminal activities have turned the popular Otukpo–Utonkon–Igumale–Agila road into a ghost route, as vehicular and human movement have drastically reduced.
“These attacks stand condemned. I call on the various security agencies to double their efforts to rescue the victims who are still being held.
“I also call on our father, His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to, as a matter of urgent security necessity, establish a military base in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.
“This will greatly restore security and confidence in the area and send the criminals who have found haven in the thick Utonkon forest to the fate they deserve. Only this measure can quickly correct the insecurity in Ado and surrounding towns.
“Reports have shown that some kidnapped victims from Otukpo, Okpokwu, and surrounding areas, especially along the Otukpo–Otukpa–Enugu Expressway, are also taken to the Utonkon forest.
“A swift and aggressive combing of the forest will greatly resolve many of these issues. When the military base is established, the forest and other surrounding kidnapping hideouts will be overrun,” Agbese added.
Benue insecurity: Philip Agbese urges Tinubu to establish military base in Ado LG
