Benue Gov faces backlash over denial of genocide amid rising insecurity in his state

By Johnson Arua

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state has sparked controversy after asserting that the wave of killings in the state does not constitute genocide.

Speaking on Wednesday about insecurity and his role as a clergyman in government, the governor emphasized that his religious calling continues to define him.

“I am a reverend father, so being in governance does not take that away from me,” he said. “I came in as a governor, as a Reverend Father. I am working with the fear of God and the compassion of Christianity and humanity, and at the end of the day, I’m still going back to the church as a reverend father and a good Christian.”

Governor Alia acknowledged that Benue has long struggled with security challenges, particularly attack on farmers by pastoralists, but insisted that these incidents, despite the magnitude of killings, should not be labeled genocide.

“In my state of Benue, we don’t have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide. Do we have insecurities in the state? Yes. But it is not a genocide,” he stated.

His comments, however, have provoked widespread outrage online, with many accusing him of disregarding the suffering of residents.

@Eva wrote, “The Catholic Church needs to strip this man of his priesthood. Benue is one of the states with the highest killings and displacement. Why play politics with people’s lives?”

@AdegunjuUthmanTunde said, “Benue people dey shout fire, Governor dey say ‘no smoke’. Na only Nigerian leaders dey see crisis as imagination.”

@VIRA9JA added, “This kind of denial is dangerous. When villages keep getting attacked, saying there’s no genocide sounds like he’s protecting political interests.”

@Bitmessa commented, “More important than denying or accepting labels is actually preventing further killings. That’s what people want.”

@ComradeFredyman noted, “Denying the Christian genocide or targeted killings won’t change the facts. You’re not a Reverend Father but a wolf in sheep clothing.”

@TaraBlinkz said, “Being a Reverend Father no go stop bullets from reaching your people, sir.”

Governor Alia has not issued any further response to the backlash that followed his remarks as the speech continues to generate angry reactions from Nigerians at home and abroad.