Business & Economy

Benue governor accuses lawmakers, politicians of sponsoring deadly attacks


Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, has accused unnamed politicians and some serving members of the National Assembly of orchestrating the violent attacks ravaging the state.

Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme on Friday, Alia said the interim findings of a judicial panel set up by his administration suggest political actors are behind the escalating insecurity.

Since the start of the year, Benue has witnessed a spike in violence, with hundreds reportedly killed across several communities in attacks often blamed on bandits and suspected herders.

“We set up a judicial panel to sort out for us why we kept having attacks from within and from without, and we have received an interim report,” the governor said.

“Between Tuesday and Wednesday next week, I am going to get a full report from the panel.”

He alleged that certain politicians based in Abuja, including lawmakers, are not only instigating the crisis but also actively funding and supporting the perpetrators.

“It is very unsettling because some 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; keeping them in the bushes and taking care of all their bills and buying all the gadgets for them,” Alia said.

“This is extremely unacceptable. If they do not like the lives of the people and are fighting for their own political position, I think I am serving the interest of the common masses and it is my right to protect them.”

Alia insisted that the wave of violence in Benue was no longer limited to farmer-herder clashes, describing it as a deliberate campaign being executed with external support.

“We are under siege,” he said. “The way these attacks come and the intel we receive, it is a directed, calibrated plan and then executed.”

Tolulope Popoola

Tolulope is a dynamic media professional with a knack for impactful storytelling and digital content curation. Skilled in journalism, news editing, and corporate communications, she leads with creativity and precision.

She holds both her first and second degrees in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos and is currently the Deputy Online Editor at BusinessDay.



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