Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has raised an alarm over the escalating security crisis in the Benue, stating that it is no longer a matter of herder-farmer clashes, but a coordinated wave of terrorist attacks.
Benue state has witnessed a surge in violence in recent weeks, with multiple local government areas experiencing deadly assaults that have claimed numerous lives.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Governor Alia emphasized that the pattern and precision of the attacks point to a larger, more organized threat.
“We are under siege,” Governor Alia exclaimed on the programme when asked if he thinks the state is under terror attack. “The way these attacks come and the intel we receive, it is a directed calibrated plan and then executed.”
The governor highlighted that the intelligence gathered on a daily basis is often reliable, adding weight to the belief that the state is under orchestrated terrorist assault.
“On a daily basis we are receiving those intel. Of late, each of those 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.”
According to Governor Alia, the nature of the violence has evolved into something far more insidious. He described the attackers as professional killers engaging in hit-and-run tactics reminiscent of guerrilla warfare.
“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 remarked.
The governor’s comments come amid growing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Benue and other parts of Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
