Benue On Edge: NUJ Calls In Air Power To Break The Cycle Of Blood And Fear

Iorfa Akpen

The Nigeria Union of Journalists is turning to the skies for help. 

On Tuesday, the NUJ Benue State Council walked straight into the heart of military power at Makurdi. Their destination: the 151 Base Services Group, Nigerian Air Force Headquarters. 

Their mission was blunt. No more business as usual. The pen and the sword need to start working together, and fast. 

Council Chairman Comrade Bemdoo Ugber led the charge. He didn’t mince words about why they came. The state is bleeding, and scattered responses aren’t cutting it anymore. 

Ugber saluted the Air Force for standing between civilians and chaos. But respect wasn’t the point of the visit. He demanded a new level of coordination. Tighter. Faster. Relentless. 

“Your service is hope for our people,” Ugber told Commander Kenneth Oyong. “But hope alone won’t stop the next ambush on a farm road. We need every uniform in this state pulling in one direction.” 

The backdrop is grim and familiar to every Benue resident. Farmers cut down in their fields. Travelers snatched off highways. A slow, grinding war that never makes national headlines for long enough. 

NUJ’s pitch: fight smarter, not just harder. They want non-kinetic warfare on the table. Information, trust, and community intelligence as weapons, backed by air power. 

Ugber laid out the bargain. Journalists will hold the line on professional, accurate reporting. No sensationalism. No leaks that get soldiers killed. In return, the military helps the media get sharper. 

That means training for reporters who cover conflict. It means digital tools so truth can outrun rumors. Because in Benue right now, a fake WhatsApp post can do as much damage as an AK-47. 

Commander Oyong didn’t dodge the problem. He admitted misinformation is eating the mission from the inside. Fake videos, AI-generated lies, doctored photos — they flood the state faster than reinforcements. 

He said the cost is more than morale. Every viral lie spooks investors, stalls projects, and tells families that Benue isn’t safe to build a life in. The economy bleeds out alongside the people. 

Oyong’s warning was pointed: politicians and pundits chasing clout with unverified claims are arming the enemy for free. “When you spread falsehood for likes, you’re not attacking government. You’re attacking the troops in the bush.” 

Still, the Commander left the door open. He backed NUJ’s call for collaboration, saying only verified information can starve the crisis of oxygen. Truth, he argued, is a force multiplier. 

The meeting wasn’t just talk. It ended with a symbolic exchange — the Base Services Group presenting a souvenir to Ugber. A small gesture, but one that seals a promise to try something different. 

Ugber doubled down with an invitation. He wants Oyong at the NUJ’s lecture, dinner, and awards night on April 30, 2026 in Makurdi. The message: if we’re going to fight together, we also need to be seen together. 

Fourteen paragraphs to say what Benue already knows: this isn’t a crisis you bomb your way out of. It will take airmen, reporters, farmers, and commanders deciding that silence and solo acts are no longer options.