Makurdi, Benue State – Governor Hyacinth Alia has accused unnamed politicians, including some currently serving in the National Assembly, of financing and coordinating violent attacks across Benue State. Speaking during an interview on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television Friday evening, Governor Alia cited findings from a judicial panel of inquiry set up to probe the root causes of the persistent security crisis in the state.
“It is very unsettling,” Alia said. “Some politicians who are very functional, and are in the National Assembly, and are in Abuja, are the architects and arrowheads — not just instigating but harboring and supporting these people.” The governor alleged that these political actors are providing shelter, funding, and equipment to the perpetrators, many of whom operate from remote bush hideouts.
Interim Report Suggests Political Sabotage
Alia disclosed that the judicial panel has submitted an interim report that implicates the politicians in a coordinated campaign of violence. The full report is expected between Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
“We are under siege,” the governor stated. “The way these attacks come, and the intel we receive, show it is a directed, calibrated plan and then executed.”
Governor Promises Tough Action
Governor Alia pledged to act decisively once the final report is in hand, insisting that the safety of ordinary citizens is his top priority.
“If they [the politicians] 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.” The allegations come amid ongoing violence in parts of Benue, a state long plagued by communal clashes, banditry, and suspected militia attacks. The governor’s remarks are likely to intensify scrutiny over the role of political elites in Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
