End mindless North Central killings, Olajengbesi charges new COAS
Abuja-based lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has called on the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Waidi Shaibu, to urgently end the persistent and senseless killings ravaging the North Central region of Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Olajengbesi said the task before the new army chief is clearly defined, stressing that Major General Shaibu, who hails from Kogi State, must make it a priority to restore peace in the region.
“For the new Chief of Army Staff who hails from Kogi State in North Central Nigeria, charity should begin at home,” Olajengbesi said. “He should crush those ruthless marauders killing innocent Nigerians in Plateau, Benue, Kwara, and Kogi States. He must stop the carnage.”
Olajengbesi lamented the wave of brutal attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives across the region in 2025, describing the perpetrators as “dark-hearted monsters” who continue to unleash terror and destruction on communities.
“The North Central zone has endured too many tragedies this year. From Yelewata, Guma, and Makurdi in Benue to Riyom and Bassa in Plateau, hundreds have been sent to early graves. These assailants leave behind mass graves, burnt houses, and destroyed farmlands,” he said.
He noted that even religious leaders, such as Plateau-based cleric Evangelist Ezekiel Dachomo, have been reduced to conducting mass funerals almost weekly.
“The killings have spread to the Yagba area of Kogi, while Kwara has not been spared with residents of Baruten, Edu, Ekiti, Ifelodun, Isin, Kaiama, Oke-Ero, Patigi, and Irepodun suffering similar attacks,” Olajengbesi added.
He urged Major General Shaibu to act swiftly and decisively to secure the region, calling for the reinforcement and reorganisation of military operations.
“The new army chief must move fast to save the zone from the enemies of Nigeria. Major General Shaibu should strengthen the 148 Battalion (Rear) in Kogi and Kwara, recalibrate Operation Safe Haven now renamed Operation Enduring Peace in Plateau, and inject new strategies and motivation into troop formations in Benue, Niger, and Nasarawa States,” he said.
Olajengbesi emphasized that restoring peace and security in the North Central should be a top priority for the new COAS, reiterating that “for Major General Shaibu, charity must indeed begin at home.”
President Bola Tinubu, on Friday, announced the appointment of new service chiefs, with General Olufemi Oluyede named Chief of Defence Staff, succeeding General Christopher Musa. Major General Waidi Shaibu was appointed Chief of Army Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke as Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff.
