Daily Lens Report
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has dismissed claims that the security challenges in the state amount to genocide, insisting that such descriptions are inaccurate and inconsistent with global definitions.
Speaking at a consultative forum on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, the governor—who is also a Catholic priest—said the narrative of “genocide” does not reflect the reality in Benue.
According to him, although the state has suffered significant security incidents over the years, none of them meet the criteria for genocide as outlined by the United Nations.
“In Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide. We do not have that,” he stated. “Do we have insecurity in the state? Yes, we do. But it is not genocide. One would need to go through the United Nations definitions to understand this.”
Governor Alia explained that Benue’s longstanding conflicts stem from tensions between agro-pastoralists and crop farmers—an issue that began as minor disputes but gradually escalated into more serious crises over many years. Despite the human losses recorded, he stressed that the situation still falls short of being classified as genocide.
He cautioned against mischaracterising the conflict, warning that exaggerations could politicise a sensitive issue and undermine efforts to address the state’s security concerns.
“For those who seek to politicise everything, there is no genocide in Benue State. But we do have security challenges,” he concluded.
