27th December, 2025
The President-General of Mzough U Tiv Worldwide, Chief Iorbee Ihagh, has praised United States President Donald Trump for initiating air strikes against terrorist elements in North-West Nigeria, urging that the military action be expanded to Benue State to stop what he described as the “genocide” of Christian communities.
Speaking in Makurdi on Tuesday, Chief Ihagh praised Trump for authorising air operations against terrorist groups in North-West Nigeria, saying the action has rekindled hope among long-suffering communities in Benue.
According to him, U.S. military intervention in Benue would bring lasting relief to farmers and rural dwellers who have endured years of violence, displacement and destruction.
“I am from Kwande Local Government Area, Moon Council Ward precisely. For over 16 years, our people have been displaced. Farms are destroyed, schools and hospitals burnt, and we can no longer access our ancestral homes,” Ihagh said.
“Anyone who attempts to return is killed. But with what the U.S. troops have started in the North-West, I believe the end of terrorism is near. I have written to President Trump to thank him and to ask that his troops come to Benue, where priests, church members and worshippers are being killed inside churches,” he added.
The Tiv leader disclosed that a Christmas Eve vigil in Makurdi was cancelled after an alleged threat letter from armed herdsmen, forcing churches to reschedule Christmas Masses to earlier hours, between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., for security reasons.
He commended the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, for what he described as a timely and responsible decision to safeguard lives.
Chief Ihagh said the scale of displacement and suffering in Benue has reached the level of a humanitarian emergency, calling on the United States to extend “a hand of fellowship” to thousands of displaced persons across the state.
He also lamented what he termed the failure of security agencies to stop armed groups allegedly moving freely with AK-47 rifles, describing the situation as “alarming, unacceptable, and deeply troubling.”
“Our people are tired of burying their dead,” he said. “Benue needs help now.”
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