Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue, has declared that the state is under siege from terrorists and bandits, citing recent attacks that have claimed several lives.
There has been a surge in attacks in the North-Central state in recent weeks, with several local government areas experiencing violent onslaughts that have claimed numerous lives.
Speaking on Friday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Alia said that the attacks were well-planned and executed by terrorists, and were beyond a simple herders-farmers clash.
The governor revealed that the state received daily intelligence reports, with 60 to 65 per cent of them being accurate.
“We are under siege,” Alia exclaimed on the programme when asked if he thinks the state is under terror attack.
He added, “The way these attacks come and the intel we receive, it is a directed calibrated plan and then executed. On a daily basis, we are receiving those intel. Of late, each of the intel we receive, 60 to 65 per cent of it is quite accurate.
“And then when you realise what is going on, it is beyond just conflict, it is beyond just an ethnic fight between herders and farmers in our state, it is directed, it is planned and then it is executed, it is some terrorism.”
He noted that the attacks were characterised by specialised killers who engage in guerrilla warfare, coming in at night, hitting, and running without leaving any traces.
“For some reason, none of them is ever caught, they come in in the thick of the night, hit, run and nobody sees a trace. So, it is some terrorism that is eating us up,” he said.
Alia also accused some serving politicians in the National Assembly of allegedly sponsoring the attacks in Benue.
He claimed that an interim report from a judicial panel he set up revealed big names, and he vowed to take up the matter seriously once he receives the full report.
The governor also said that the judicial panel’s interim report revealed that some politicians in Abuja were not only instigating the attacks but also harbouring and supporting the terrorists.
He said, “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.
”Between Tuesday and Wednesday next week, I am going to get a full report from the panel.
“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.
“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.
“So, once we receive this report the coming week, we are going to take it up and take it seriously.”
He found this unacceptable and pledged to protect the interests of the common masses.
Alia emphasised that he would take the report seriously and act accordingly once he received the full findings from the judicial panel.
He is determined to address the security challenges facing the state and protect the lives of its citizens.
