Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has made a startling accusation, alleging that some serving politicians in the National Assembly are sponsoring violent attacks across the state.
Speaking during an interview on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television on Friday, Governor Alia described the situation as “extremely unacceptable” and pledged to take decisive action once a full judicial panel report is submitted next week.
According to the governor, an interim report from the judicial panel of inquiry he constituted has already indicted several high-profile individuals.
“It is very, very unsettling because top politicians who are very functional and are in the National Assembly and are in Abuja are the architects and arrowheads of not just instigating, but harbouring and keeping these people [attackers], feeding them in the bushes, taking care of all their needs, and buying all the other gadgets for them,” Alia alleged.
“If they do not love the lives of the people and they’re only fighting for their own position, I think I am serving the interest of the common masses and it is a concern to me, and it is my right to protect it,” he added.
Governor Alia said the full report from the panel is expected between Tuesday and Wednesday next week, after which his administration will respond accordingly.
The allegation comes amid heightened insecurity in the state. On Friday, several people were feared killed and many others injured following a fresh attack by suspected armed herdsmen along the Makurdi–Naka road.
The area has reportedly been under the control of armed Fulani militia groups for weeks, despite assurances of military intervention. The latest violence further underscores the dire security challenges in Benue, a state that has long grappled with clashes between farming communities and suspected herders.
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