Benue State Governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has declared that the security situation in the State is no longer a matter of herder-farmer clashes, but a well coordinated wave of terrorists’ attacks.
Governor Alia, who stated this on Friday, June 6, 2025 against the backdrop of the growing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Benue and other parts of the Middle Belt region, expressed serious concerns over the “escalating” security crisis in his State.
Alia, who stated these when he was featured on Channels Television programme; ‘Politics Today’ said that Benue State known as the ‘food basket’ of the nation, has witnessed an upscale surge in violence in recent weeks, with many of the Local Government Areas facing deadly assaults that have claimed several innocent lives.
Governor Alia specifically noted that the pattern and precision of the attacks point to a larger, more organized and devastating threat.
In the words of Governor Alia; “We are under siege. The way these attacks come and the intel we receive, it is a directed calibrated plan that are intentionally executed”.
He further explained that based on the reliable intelligence gathered, it is clear that the State is under orchestrated terrorists’ assault.
According to Governor Alia; “On a daily basis, we are receiving the intel and of late, each of those intel we receive, 60 to 65 per cent are quite accurate.
“And then when you realise what is going on, it is beyond just conflict. It is beyond an ethnic fight between herders and farmers in our State. It is directed, planned and then executed. It is some terrorism,” he stressed.
The Benue Governor also said that the nature of the violence has evolved into something far more insidious, stressing that the attackers are professional killers engaged in hit-and-run tactics reminiscent of guerrilla warfare.
Governor Alia said; “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”.
