Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has dismissed claims that the state is experiencing genocide, insisting that while insecurity remains a serious issue, it does not meet the international definition of genocide.
Speaking at a consultative forum organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, the governor said recent descriptions of Benue’s crisis were exaggerated and misleading.
“As a Reverend Father, my conscience won’t let me twist the truth,” he said. “In Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state-sponsored genocide. That is simply not accurate.”
Governor Alia acknowledged that the state has suffered years of violent clashes, largely driven by long-standing tensions between herders and crop farmers. He admitted that many lives had been lost and communities displaced, but insisted that these incidents still do not fall under what the United Nations recognises as genocide.
“Do we have insecurity? Yes. Have we lost people over the years? Yes. But it doesn’t fit the parameters of genocide,” he said, noting that the conflict started as minor disagreements before escalating into wider violence.
He cautioned against using extreme labels for political gain, warning that such narratives could worsen the situation rather than help resolve it.
“For those who want to politicise everything, let me be clear: there is no genocide in Benue State. But we do have serious security challenges,” he said.
The discussion comes amid growing global attention on Nigeria’s security issues. The U.S. had previously listed Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, and former U.S. President Donald Trump voiced worries about attacks on Christian communities in parts of the country.
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