By Kolawole Ojebisi
Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, has identified those behind the killings in his state as foreign terrorists who are well versed in the operations of sophisticated weapons.
Alia exonerated nomadic herders looking for a means of livelihood from the brutality stressing that the real perpetrators are heavily armed, move without cattle, and do not speak any Nigerian language.
The governor also said President Bola Tinubu has not abandoned Benue, noting that the Federal Government has been supporting the state with security forces and resources to tackle the ongoing violence.
Alia spoke while featuring on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’ on Monday.
“They don’t speak any Nigerian dialect. Even if they are locally connected, they are not from the area,” he said.
According to him, many of the attackers are now “heavily armed and move without cattle,” which has led authorities to classify them as “armed herders” rather than traditional pastoralists.
While not completely ruling out the involvement of some locals, Alia emphasized that foreigners are the main culprits of the incessant attacks in Benue State.
“Some of them are being aided by people within,” Alia noted.
He stated that federal support has helped reduce the number of local government areas being terrorised by armed attackers from 17 to just three.
The governor expressed concern that the violence in Benue has gone beyond the traditional farmer-herder crisis.
He further raised alarm over the porous borders around Benue, saying: “We have serious security concerns along our borders with Cameroon, Taraba, and Nasarawa.”
Governor Alia also disclosed that he had discussed intelligence findings with Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule. “From our conversations and the intelligence reports shared, many of these terrorist activities are linked to foreign elements entering through Benue,” he added.
Recall that Benue has been under unrelenting attacks for some months now
On June 15, 2025, a night attack on the Yelewata community left 59 dead, including security personnel.
There have been similar mass killings in Ukum, Logo, and Gwer West LGAs in April and May, with dozens of civilians murdered by suspected herders.
The violence has generated national outrage and international condemnation.
Pope Leo XIV called the Yelewata massacre an act of “extreme cruelty.”
