Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has defended the Federal Government’s role in tackling insecurity in the state, asserting that military support from Abuja has helped reduce the number of local government areas under siege from 17 to just three.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Governor Alia dismissed claims that the Federal Government had failed to intervene in Benue’s prolonged security crisis.
“If [President Bola Tinubu] didn’t have an understanding of what is going on, he won’t be giving us full support,” Alia said.
According to the governor, significant progress has been made due to federal intervention.
“Seventeen local governments out of 23 were under siege and then we fought it down to nine… to six and now to three,” he explained.
“The last time we had some severe attacks, three security units were assigned to us from the Federal Government. They came in and there was a huge shift. Those who had occupied the spaces in the local governments had to leave.”
Ongoing Violence and Rising Death Toll
Benue, one of Nigeria’s top food-producing states in the North-Central region, has faced relentless attacks attributed largely to suspected herdsmen. Tensions between indigenous agrarian communities and nomadic herders over land rights and resource access have led to years of bloodshed.
On Friday, June 15, 2025, at least 59 people were confirmed killed in Yelewata community, including military and civil defense personnel. It was the latest in a string of brutal incidents:
- April 2025: Around 60 people were killed in Ukum and Logo LGAs.
- May 2025: At least 42 were slain in Gwer West LGA.
National and Global Reactions
The repeated killings have sparked nationwide protests and international condemnation. Pope Leo XIV described the Yelewata attack as a “terrible massacre” and condemned the perpetrators for their “extreme cruelty”.
Despite growing public frustration over the pace of government response, Governor Alia maintained that progress was being made, thanks to the strategic deployment of federal security resources.
“It came down because of the full support we got from the Federal Government,” he reiterated.
Nevertheless, the humanitarian toll remains high, and residents continue to demand more decisive action to prevent further atrocities.
