.
.
ABUJA, NIGERIA — SEPTEMBER 15, 2026 — Widespread outrage has greeted the federal government following a series of deadly militia attacks across Adamawa, Plateau, Zamfara, and Benue states, occurring while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains away on an extended trip to Europe.
The surge of violent assaults on rural communities has reignited public criticism over the administration’s handling of national security, with local leaders accusing federal authorities of abandoning vulnerable farming enclaves to armed attackers.
Fresh Attack Hits Benue Following Political Controversy
In Benue State, armed attackers invaded Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area, killing four Mobile Police officers and over seven civilians, while several others were injured or reported missing.
The assault came just days after security forces and political operatives blocked the convoy of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi near Makurdi, preventing him from visiting victims of earlier violence in Yelwata. Community leaders expressed bitterness that official resources were mobilized to restrict opposition movement while rural villages remained completely undefended.
Presidency Faces Criticism Over Security Inaction
The renewed carnage across the Middle Belt, North East, and North West coincides with President Tinubu’s ongoing three-week vacation in Europe, a trip that continues to draw fire over its high financial cost during a nationwide security breakdown.
Responding to official assertions of resource constraints within defense agencies, affected communities and civil society groups argue that the government has shown a lack of political will to confront marauding militias. Minority rights organizations maintain that without an immediate overhaul of the security architecture, rural populations across the region will remain exposed to continuous violence.
