Benue State Governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, has made an urgent appeal to the Federal Government (FG) to provide immediate support in addressing the growing insecurity in the state, stressing that a declaration of a state of emergency is not the right solution to the crisis. The governor, who spoke on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Wednesday, April 23, acknowledged the severity of the security situation but remained confident that it was not beyond resolution.
Governor Alia emphasized that what Benue urgently needs is direct intervention from the federal government to help restore peace in the affected areas and assist with the resettlement of displaced communities. “We need emergency help for now. We need absolute support. The federal government has been supportive, sending two armoured tanks, and our situation improved,” he shared, highlighting that such efforts have already contributed to some improvements in the security situation in the state.
In his remarks, the governor also spoke about the progress made by his administration in addressing the violence, mentioning that the number of affected local government areas had significantly reduced from 17 to just six. “This shows that we have the capacity to resolve the issue. We’ve gone from 17 local governments on the front lines of the attacks to six. But we still need more help. That’s the reality,” Governor Alia explained, indicating the positive steps taken by his leadership while emphasizing the continued need for support.
Governor Alia further pointed out that some of the deadly attacks on the state have been carried out by foreign elements, many of whom do not speak any of the local Nigerian languages. This situation, he explained, underlines the urgency of removing these invaders and ensuring the safety of the local population. “What we need now is to get our people back home, drive out the invaders, the armed men who’ve brought in people who don’t even speak the Nigerian languages we speak. Let them return to where they came from and allow us, the farmers, to go back to our ancestral lands. Calling for a state of emergency does not make sense here,” he stated, adding that restoring peace and security is the key priority for the state’s future.