By Amos Uchiv
Under the leadership of Governor Hyacenth Alia, who campaigned on a platform of eradicating insecurity within his first 100 days in office, Benue State has become a haven for kidnappers and a center of rising instability. The recent kidnapping charges involve the former chairman of Ukum Local Government, Iorwashima Erukaa, and Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Matthew Abo.
There are senseless killings ongoing in the state with the governor maintaining shocking silence either to please the Fulanis who were the main sponsors of his governorship campaigns.
Recall that Governor Alia had during the campaigns, openly said he was working with the bandits and criminals in the Sankera axis of the state and they would never strike unless they hear from him. It is also gathered that the criminals in Sankera gave Alia 15 million naira to support his ambition with a deal for political patronage when he assumed power.
The governor has reportedly reneged on his promises to the bandits and that is no doubt largely responsible for the current rising insecurity in the area. His indifference to the kidnap of his Commissioner only to be forced by criticisms to respond reluctantly says a lot about his person and exposes his lack of human compassion.
And when it was time to react, he said the action of the kidnappers was “barbaric, condemnable and unacceptable”, thereby annoying the very people he had a pact with and is foot-dragging in fulfilling his own side of the bargain.
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It is however, not surprising that Governor Alia is not in anyway committed to facing headlong, the security situation in the state. His refusal to appoint a Special Adviser on Security after four months in office and gross silence in the face of the mayhem being visited on the people by Fulani herdsmen is confirmation that he is not prepared for leadership.
Even the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs who were hoodwinked into voting Governor Alia due to a phantom promise to resettle them back to their ancestral homes have lost faith in the man they expected much from.
But all these are happening because the governor has an agreement with bandits in the Sankera axis and the merchants of death in other parts of the state to let them go about their “businesses” without interference.
For now, Benue people are in grave danger, having made the mistake of giving their mandate to a man who is not sincere, but simply desperate for power.
