Benue State Governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, has appealed to the Federal Government (FG) for urgent support in tackling the rising insecurity in the state, insisting that a declaration of a state of emergency is not the solution.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Wednesday, April 23, Governor Alia acknowledged the severity of the security crisis but insisted it was not beyond control.
He emphasized that what Benue truly needs is immediate federal intervention to help restore peace and resettle 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 said.
Governor Alia also highlighted the progress his administration has made in addressing the violence, citing a reduction in the number of affected local government areas from 17 to 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,” he added.
The governor pointed out that some of the deadly attacks are being carried out by foreign elements, noting that many of the armed invaders do not speak any local Nigerian languages.
He emphasized the importance of driving these invaders out and allowing displaced farmers to return to their ancestral lands.
“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.
