Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has made a damning allegation against some high-profile politicians in Abuja, claiming they are bankrolling and facilitating the violent attacks currently plaguing the state.
The Governor, who spoke during a live interview on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Friday, said preliminary findings by a judicial panel he constituted suggest that some members of the National Assembly are not only instigating but also sustaining the attackers.
“We set up a judicial panel to sort out for us why we kept having attacks from within and from without, and we have received an interim report,” Alia disclosed. “Between Tuesday and Wednesday next week, I am going to get a full report from the panel.”
The interim report, according to him, reveals a politically motivated plot to destabilise the state through calculated and sustained violence.
“It is very unsettling because some politicians who are very functional, and are in the national assembly, and are in Abuja, are the architects and arrowheads of not just instigating but harbouring and keeping these people; keeping them in the bushes and taking care of all their bills and buying all the gadgets for them,” the Governor alleged.
“This is extremely unacceptable. If they do not like the lives of the people and are fighting for their own political position, I think I am serving the interest of the common masses, and it is my right to protect them,” he added.
Benue has come under a fresh wave of violent attacks in recent weeks. Last week alone, no fewer than 40 people were killed in coordinated gun raids on Gwer and Apa Local Government Areas. In response, the Benue State Police Command announced the redeployment of area commanders and tactical teams to the troubled areas.
Governor Alia described the attacks as a well-orchestrated siege against the state. “We are under siege, the way these attacks come and the intel we receive, it is a directed, calibrated plan and then executed,” he said.
Although the Governor stopped short of naming any specific individuals behind the alleged sponsorship, he made it clear that those involved are well-entrenched political figures based in Abuja.
“This is extremely unacceptable,” he stressed again. “If they do not love the lives of the people and they’re only fighting for their own position, I think I am serving the interest of the common masses, and it is a concern to me, and it is my right to protect it.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has also raised concerns over the security situation in the state. In a recent report, the human rights group revealed that over 10,000 lives have been lost in similar attacks across Nigeria in the last two years, with Benue and Plateau states recording the highest death tolls.
Governor Alia has vowed to act decisively once the final report of the judicial panel is submitted in the coming days.
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