By Sam Tyav, Makurdi
Disturbed by incessant attacks and killings of residents of Tyoshin, Gwer West Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, the Forum of Tyoshin Academics (FoTA) has strongly condemned the incidents.
The group called for an end to the killings and also demanded justice for the recent assault on a food vendor by a Nigerian soldier, identified as Private Emmanuel Christopher.
In a statement signed by the forum’s National President, Professor Patrick Ukase, and National Publicity Secretary, Professor John Ajai, FoTA demanded prompt, transparent, and independent investigation into Miss Dooshima Grace Kwaghngule’s assault, monitored by civil society in Benue State.
“After weeks of avoiding payment for a ₦2,400 meal, the soldier humiliated and violently beat her with a stick for merely asking to be paid, accusing her of being ‘rude’ and needing to be ‘taught a lesson’,” the forum noted.
It demanded immediate prosecution of Private Christopher under military and civil laws, with a strong emphasis on ensuring the process is transparent, impartial, and subject to public scrutiny.
The academics also called for guaranteed medical care, legal protection, and full compensation for Miss Kwaghngule, with assurances against further harassment.
Other demands by the forum include: “A comprehensive investigation into all military personnel in Gwer West over extortion at checkpoints, demands for money to access homes or retrieve corpses, and failure to respond to killings and kidnappings despite their presence.
“Disciplinary actions and redeployment of soldiers found guilty of misconduct.
“Deployment of a new, community-vetted military unit trained in civil-military relations and dedicated to civilian protection.”
According to the statement, a renewed military and federal effort is needed to secure all of Gwer West, not just its major roads but also vulnerable villages under attack.
The forum also urged swift government intervention to ensure the “safe and supported” return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.
FoTA noted that “the people of Gwer West have endured enough injustice, insecurity, and indignity. The Nigerian Army and government must act now, not to protect their image, but to uphold justice, restore peace, and renew the people’s trust.”
The group lamented that soldiers deployed to the area were allegedly not protecting the people, accusing them rather of acting “as aggressors”.
They recalled “the 2018 razing of over 200 homes in Naka by soldiers, reportedly in retaliation for a colleague’s death, an excessive force never shown against the armed herders responsible for killing and displacing thousands.
“Repeated tragedies, such as the 2023 killing of the Naka DPO near a military base at Tse-Orbiam, near Naka and the October 2024 murder of five civilians, have gone unpunished. Despite multiple military checkpoints, the Makurdi–Naka and Naka–Adoka roads have become hotspots for ambushes and abductions, with at least 15 people kidnapped in April 2025 alone. The Army’s inaction, despite proximity, has deepened public fear and mistrust.
“Even more troubling are widespread reports of unprofessional and exploitative behaviours by soldiers: extorting money from motorcyclists, demanding payments from bereaved families to recover corpses, and burying loved ones or escorting them to retrieve food, and intimidating victims to prevent them from speaking out. We acknowledge and commend the Nigerian Army for confirming that investigations into the assault on Miss Dooshima Grace Kwaghngule have begun and that Private Emmanuel Christopher is now in custody. However, FoTA further condemns, in the strongest terms, unprofessional and exploitative behaviours by soldiers in Gwer-West LGA.”
