AN OPEN LETTER FROM TERZUNGWE YOHANE ORAFA TO Benue State Government

 

US Military Veteran Son of Nigerian Army Major Gaav and Konshisha Son Father of One

To the Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Etulo and other tribes - Traditional Councils,

To the Prominent Sons and Daughters of Benue,

And to the Government of Benue State,

I write this not just as a concerned citizen, but as a trained soldier, a son of the soil, and a father who refuses to watch his homeland fall.

I am Terzungwe Yohane Orafa, a proud US Military Veteran, son of the late Nigerian Army Major Daniel Dzever Orafa, of blessed memory, who served with honor and bravery. I come from Gaav, in Konshisha, and I carry the blood of warriors, farmers, iron-smiths before me and builders of this land. I have seen the results of war, I have seen what happens when people delay to act — and I am telling you now:

Benue is under siege, and the time for talk is over.

How Many More Must Die?

Our people are being slaughtered in their sleep. Our mothers are being raped in their homes. Our fathers are being shot on their farms. Villages are burned, children orphaned, and thousands left to rot in IDP camps — all while the state and federal governments offer empty promises and zero protection.

What’s worse? The enemy is armed to the teeth with AK-47s, knives and machetes while we are told to stay unarmed, stay calm, and wait for help that never comes. The presence of the chief of Army Staff and his deployed soldiers are only temporary. While we appreciate their presence, it is unfair to ask that they lay their lives on the line for ours while we hide behind trees, in IDP camps and watch them defend our homeland. For how long will they be here? What about their own families?

Let me say it clearly:

No one is coming to SAVE us.

We Do Not Need Permission to Arm and Defend Ourselves.

Why should we ask for permission to live? 

Why should we obey laws that do not protect us, while our killers violate every law and walk free?

To those who say we should fear arming our people — you are already living in fear, and it has gotten us nowhere.

To those who say we might turn the guns on ourselves — we are already dying anyway, one local government at a time.

The real threat is not from within. It is surrounding us from without.

Reports from all zones — from Guma, Kwande, Gwer, Logo, Ukum, Makurdi, Agatu, all the locations of recorded attacks (only Gboko, Ushongo and Vandeikya have not witnessed attacks so far) — confirm that this is not random. This is a strategic encirclement. They are cutting off our entry points. We are being surrounded.

My Call as a Veteran and a Son of Benue

I am calling for the voluntary enlistment of 10,000 brave men and women, aged 21 to 50, across our Tiv, Idoma, Igede, and Etulo communities.

Let us form a Traditional Civil Defense Militia.

I Call on Our Traditional Councils:

Set up training camps immediately one in each zone.

Organize first aid, tactical defense training, drone flight and aerial surveillance training and weapons safety drills.

Use retired military officers, soldiers and local hunters as instructors. Their wealth of