Governor confirms deaths of 76 officers between 2024 and 2025.
Families of fallen personnel receive ₦5m each as compensation.
Government pledges scholarships and long-term support for widows and children.
Governor Hyacinth Alia has disclosed that no fewer than 76 security personnel lost their lives in Benue State in the past year while carrying out operations to restore order.
The Governor made the disclosure in Makurdi on Thursday while hosting families of the slain officers drawn from the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the military, the Benue Civil Protection Guards, and the Operation Zenda joint task force.
Alia announced that the state government has approved ₦5 million for each bereaved family. He further pledged scholarships for the children of the deceased and inclusion of widows in state welfare and protocol lists.
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“I sat and saw a mother breastfeeding her baby — that means the child never knew its father because he paid the supreme price. We will not leave anyone behind,” the Governor said, assuring that the sacrifices “would not be in vain.”
The Governor commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Service Chiefs for their support in tackling the worsening insecurity in Benue.
He added that his administration would continue to synergise with the armed forces to ensure peace.
The Director General of the Benue State Bureau of Homeland Security, Air Commodore Jacob Gbamwuan (retd.), confirmed that the 76 casualties occurred between 2024 and 2025, describing the fallen officers as “heroes who cannot be forgotten.”
Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ifeanyi Emenari, described the state government’s gesture as “spectacular and unprecedented,” noting that the compensation would provide relief for families while motivating officers still on duty.
He, however, stressed that the battle was far from over:
“It is not over until our desire for the state is achieved. We must double our efforts to ensure that criminals and hoodlums do not operate in Benue.”
