Framing Benue killings as religious is harmful – Gov Alia

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has clarified that at no time did he deny the killings in the state, but insisted that the attacks have no religious undertone.

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He regretted that his earlier comments on the matter were misinterpreted and taken out of context.

Speaking weekend shortly after a closed-door meeting with Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, in Makurdi, Governor Alia said it was important for the public to understand the proper context and global meaning of terms such as genocide.

He insisted that discussions around genocide must be based on the United Nations’ definition and historical context, stressing that many people use the word loosely without considering its origin, its interpretation, or the criteria that qualify an event as genocide.

The governor further explained that his earlier description of the attackers “executing their plans religiously” was an idiomatic expression similar to someone saying a task was carried out judiciously, meaning consistently and not in any religious sense.

He regretted that the misinterpretation of his statement caused unnecessary confusion.

Hear him: “I never denied that my people were killed. I remain very firm that we have bandits and terrorists who come fully organized to destroy, maim and kill.

“I have consistently, yes, religiously stated that their aim is land grabbing. This did not begin as anything religious.”

He emphasized that the crisis began as farmer-herder conflicts before escalating into full-blown banditry and terrorism

The governor pointed out that people from different faith backgrounds had suffered losses, therefore, attempts to frame the killings as religiously motivated were misleading and harmful.

He cautioned journalists against politicizing the tragedy or amplifying misinterpretations.

“You journalists are great minds and great hands. You are not weapons of mass destruction; you are weapons of societal construction.

“When something is unclear, one phone call can clarify it instead of confusing the entire society,” he said.

Governor Alia lamented that every loss of life in Benue weighs heavily on him as governor and called on the public to avoid trivializing the suffering of displaced families.

He reiterated that the state was a home of large number of Internally Displaced Person, IDPs who were chased away from their ancestral homes by armed invaders who attack and violate them.

According to him “the situation is multi-sectoral. Don’t reduce it to religion. Both Muslims and Christians have been killed. Benue is the most populous Christian state in the North, so naturally there are unspoken expectations, but let us not politicize people’s pain.”

On development matters, Governor Alia announced that his administration had awarded several important road projects within Makurdi, with full construction set to begin next week following the completion of preliminary works.

He commended Professor Soyinka for his genuine concern for the people and for visiting to see the progress being made in the state.

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