By Chiangi Avese, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has called on the Senator representing Benue North-East, Sen. Emmanuel Udende to be factual with the situation in his constituency regarding the killings in Gbagir community and stop shielding militia men troubling the Sankera area.
In a strongly worded statement in Makurdi on Thursday, Sir Tersoo Kula, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor said that the continued loss of precious lives, and destruction of properties which results in much hardship for many people in IDP camps, a major challenge, the State Governor, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia has taken on headlong during the past eight months of his administration should be appreciated.
“Sadly, the Governor’s effort to solve the problem appears misunderstood by many based on recent postulations by some highly placed Nigerians, including the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio”.
The statement described the complaint brought by the Senator representing Benue North-East Senatorial District, Sen. Emmanuel Udende to the red chambers that over fifty of his constituents were killed by armed herders in the latest attacks on communities as lacking in particularities.
According to the statement, the governor is peeved that, based on this complaint, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio remarked that the complaint should have been the first “line of thought” by Governor Alia and not Senator Udende!
By this Senator Udende’s misguide of the Senate, the Senate President accused Governor Alia of inaction and that, the situation required the Governor to use security votes in safeguarding the state and that Alia has not cried out and has failed to marshal out plans with security operators within the state in handling the matter before the Senate could take it to the President.
The statement said “The government of Benue State appreciates the Senate for attending to the motion promptly and in particular for drawing the attention of the Service Chiefs with Commanders and other security chiefs saddled with the duty to listen and rise to the occasion even as the government differs on some concerns the Senate President had raised!
It is necessary to stress that no discerning leader can afford to keep quiet on the level of insecurity in the state today”.
The statement pointed out that, “Governor Alia’s reinforcement of security measures with the full implementation of the State’s Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017 to stop the criminal activities of the armed herders in the state aimed to mitigate the security challenges.
The State Security Council Meeting headed by the Governor resolved previously to give a fourteen-day-ultimatum believed to be a non-kinetic approach to enable the criminals to pull out of the state. The ultimatum expired on March 6th, 2024 and the state government has authorized security agents to ensure full compliance to the law while the violators who carry with them violent weapons are treated as dangerous criminals”.
“These measures are in the public domain. No one must keep away or feign ignorance that Governor Alia is silent on security challenges in the state.
By the way, security of life and property is everybody’s business but more so for those elected and mandated to exercise power for the people. Under the circumstance, it defies imagination that the Senate President would cherry pick whom to praise or vilify as it regards this”.
The statement further said, “Findings from both formal and informal sources have indicated that the recent attack on Gbagir, a settlement area in Ukum, was a militia clash. Two local militia gangs were fighting for supremacy when another engaged the services of some militia herders to augment its strength to undo the other”.
It explained that” Sen. Udende is not oblivious of this. He hails from this same area. He needs to explain to Nigerians why he decided to shield the militiamen in his locality from this particular attack and would rather mislead the President of the Senate and Nigerians to believe the attack was carried out by Fulani militia”.
