By Vincent Tyona
Yesterday being Christmas Day, the people of Anwase in Turan, Kwande local government area of Benue State came under heavy attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen. Eleven (11) lifeless bodies were found after the attack with many others injured and some missing. The attack was one in a series of such incidents in the last one year on defenseless people in different communities of the state.
Amnesty International recently reported that in the last one year (under Alia’s leadership) over 2,600 have been killed and more than 50 communities in Benue State have suffered a total of 135 attacks. The report further said that 18 out of the 23 local government areas of the state have been adversely affected by the ongoing insecurity.
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Shockingly, the chief security officer of Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia is saying nothing and doing nothing apart from showmanship and hypocrisy like the recent lie in the name of “launch of a security outfit” using hired vehicles. He did that just to be seen as doing something.
Insecurity is at its highest height in the state. No day passes without reports of attacks, kidnappings and other crimes. Fulani herders are on the rampage. Women and children have been taken away from their families. Many are still missing.
The Fulani terrorists decide who goes where. They have appointed some of their members as leaders of the occupied communities. The indigenous villagers have to pay the armed herders money to allow them to go to their farms, and the villagers are under an unwritten oath never to complain if their farms are destroyed by Fulani cattle.
Whenever someone dies, the Fulani demand payment before allowing the bereaved family to bury their dead. That is the grim and devastating situation that Alia’s tenure has forced upon Benue people.
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We recall vividly that before the 2023 elections, Miyetti Allah and other Fulani groups adopted Alia as their governorship candidate in Benue State and said they were supporting him because he had an agreement with them to loosen up security and allow their people to return to the state, if he won the election. The Fulani groups also said Alia had promised to carve large parcels of land in each local government area of the state to give them for open grazing. We listened to that but thought it was only a wicked rumour. Today, with what is happening in Benue State and with the silence and withdrawal of governor Alia who has done everything to also suppress media coverage of the attacks and killing of Benue people by herdsmen, we can no longer doubt what the Fulanis said before the election!
Governor Alia constantly says there is relative peace in the state. He does not want the rest of the country to know that Benue is under siege and 18 out of the 23 local government areas of the state are under Fulani herders’ attacks. He has shown nonchalance towards the safety of the people.
While he was in Sokoto on the 9th of March, 2024 where the State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu launched the Sokoto State Community Guards Corps, Governor Alia’s remarks sounded like someone who was hearing about such an initiative for the first time.
At the same event in Sokoto, Alia addressed the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar as “my daddy” after the Sultan described Tiv people in derogatory terms as cattle thieves and turned to lavish praises on Governor Alia for defending Fulani interests in Benue State. Alia made no effort to correct the indictment on his people.
Alia declared a 14-day ultimatum for the herdsmen to leave the state with their cattle, but since the day he returned from Sokoto after his meeting with his “daddy” the Sultan, no one has heard about the ultimatum again.
Governor Alia has literally become the spokesman for Fulani pastoralists. He absolves them of blame and defends them against accusations better than they defend themselves. Nomadic Fulani do no wrong in the eyes of Hyacinth Alia. He says the herders only react when their cattle are rustled and he also says his people are the cattle rustlers. Each time Alia accuses his people of stealing Fulani cattle, he receives a pat on the back from the Caliphate. Make no mistake about it.
President Tinubu released N50 billion to 5 states facing serious security challenges to enable the state governments tackle the crises, but as it is his characteristic conduct, Governor Alia has not even bothered to mention ever receiving such a large amount of money.
Alia is apparently serving the interests of Fulani and he is determined to help them become integrated into Benue State where they can own land and freely rear their cattle. Forget his show of launching a security organization. He will never be hard on the herders. If he does, he will be violating the deal he had with the Fulani oligarchy and his chances of enjoying their support for a 2nd term will be in jeopardy.
I weep for Benue!
