By Mike Odeh James
(Houston, Texas – USA) Amid escalating killings, kidnappings, rapes, and arson in Nigeria’s Benue State and across the country’s central region known as the Middle Belt, the King of the Idoma people, Dr. John Elaigwu Odogbo, has warned that his people’s patience and hospitality are being exploited.
The Idoma are a predominantly Christian ethnic group of several million people in central Nigeria, concentrated in the southern part of Benue State—known locally as “Idoma Land”—with communities in nearby states. Their homeland is famous for fertile farmland, yam and cassava production, and vibrant cultural traditions blending Christian faith with centuries-old customs.
“The Idoma people are hospitable. We love people, we receive people, we care for people,” King Odogbo, known by his title “Och’Idoma,” said at the 29th Annual Convention of the Idoma Association USA, held from July 31 to August 2, 2025, in Houston, Texas.
“In a situation where the visitors want to take over your lands, that is no longer a visitor … However, only one set of people are causing trouble in the entire country, and we know them.”
The King described an alarming pattern of targeted violence:
“We (the Idomas) have never gone anywhere to kill. But what is happening now is that a group of people would go to a land, begin to kill, to maim, and to rape the people of the land. They act as if they are above the law,” the king said.
He accused Nigerian security forces of targeting Idoma youths, while avoiding heavily armed attackers:
“Security agencies will break into the homes of our youths in the dead of night, arresting them for trying to defend themselves. Yet they refuse to go after the terrorists in the bush, who are armed with sophisticated weapons. My message is clear: let them go after the real terrorists in the bush.”
While noting that Benue State’s governor, Hyacinth Alia, “has done what he could do, and he is still trying,” King Odogbo stressed that “this problem is beyond the Governor alone. In a situation where some people say we are bigger than the law of the land, and the security agencies are looking at them, what can we all do?”
“For every single soul that is lost in Idoma Land, I cannot sleep,” he said and recalled that the Idomas are the first indigenous people to settle in present day Benue State.
Emphasizing a theme of unity in the face of the crisis, King Odogbo declared passionately, “Let us work together for the greater good of our kingdom. Anyone who looks down on Idoma Land, God Himself will look down on that person.”
The King warned,
“If the world does not act, the heartland of my people could be lost to fear and displacement.”
He appealed to Idoma people across Nigeria and abroad—including in Abuja, Houston, and London—to treat every attack as a wound to the entire community:
“The survival of Idoma Land must be placed above individual or political interests. The hospitality of the Idoma people should never again be mistaken for weakness.”
American Witness to Christian Genocide
Before the King’s address, Judd Saul, founder of Equipping the Persecuted (ETP) and TruthNigeria, outlined the threat posed by radical Islamist Fulani militia.
“These militias were traditionally pastoralist herders,” Saul explained, refuting the stereotypical explanation that reduces all terrorism in Benue State to so-called “farmer herder clashes.” The fanatically Islamist invaders of the Fulani ethnicity believe they are implementing a jihadist conquest.”
Saul described a pattern where militias enter communities peacefully, becoming neighbors and friends, but once they gain acceptance, they initiate violent assaults—raiding villages, killing civilians, and shrinking Christian communities.
“Our organization, Equipping the Persecuted, works with local vigilantes and security teams.,” Saul said. “We don’t provide weapons or promote violence. Instead, we equip communities with skills and communication tools to detect threats early and report them.”
Saul urged the Idoma people worldwide: “Your voices are vital in raising awareness and demanding justice at the United Nations, the US government, and beyond.”
Rising Violence Against the Idoma
In recent years, Idoma Land has suffered repeated assaults from Fulani militants, ethnic militias, and violent gangs. Villages have been burned, families displaced, and thousands killed.
David Onyillokwu Idah, Director of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) in Nigeria, called the violence “a calculated and sustained effort to take over our ancestral lands” and urged unity:
“No people survive when scattered and disorganized. Let us stand united—under God, our King, and our flag as one Idoma Nation.”
The Idoma live not only in Benue State but also in parts of Nasarawa State, Cross River State, and small enclaves in Enugu and Kogi States—reflecting centuries of migration, trade, and intermarriage.
The cultural and spiritual heart of the Idoma Nation is Otukpo, home to the King’s palace. The monarch serves as the paramount ruler, custodian of tradition, and unifying voice for a people whose faith, farming, and heritage stretch far beyond the borders of Benue State.
Mike Odeh James is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.
