Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has stated that the individuals responsible for the recent surge in killings across the state are not Nigerian citizens.
He claims they speak unfamiliar languages and exhibit foreign characteristics.
Governor Alia made these comments on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, a current affairs program, in response to the attacks in the North-Central state that have resulted in numerous deaths and displacements.
When questioned about the identity of the attackers terrorizing communities in Benue, the governor emphasized the importance of accurately understanding the nature of the threat.
Read Also: You’re Causing Anarchy – Jigawa Governor Replies Danjuma’s Comment On Self-Defence
“Let’s have the narrative very correct. We know Nigerians—by our ethnicities, we can identify a Fulani man, a Yoruba man, a Hausa man—we know them. Even the regular traditional herders, we know them. They work with cows, herding with sticks,” Alia said.
“But these folks [the attackers] are coming in fully armed with AK-47s and 49s. They do not bear the Nigerian look. They don’t speak like we do. Even the Hausa they speak is one sort of Hausa. ”
According to the governor, information from local residents suggests that the attackers may be foreign nationals.
“It’s not the normal Hausa we Nigerians speak. So it is with the Fulani they speak. There is a trend in the language they speak, and some of our people who understand what they speak give it names. They say they are Malians and different from our people. But they are not Nigerians—believe it,” he added.
Governor Alia explained that this represents a new and more dangerous form of violence compared to previous conflicts with traditional herders.
“This is the second phase we are seeing. The initial ones were with the traditional herders. The traditional herders—we had fewer troubles with them. What we are experiencing has a new, different, strange face, and it’s now alarming,” the governor stated.
“These terrorists are everywhere. We are under a siege. These people just come and hit and kill and run back. Where are they running to?”
He further noted that the attacks appear to be highly coordinated and strategically carried out.
“The way these killings are being planned and carried out is definitely coordinated,” he observed. “Some local government areas in Benue share borders with Cameroon, and those borders are quite porous.”
The governor also mentioned that intelligence reports indicate the presence of terrorist hideouts in parts of Taraba and Nasarawa states, as well as in areas within Cameroon.
“The terrorists have their havens in Taraba, Nasarawa, and in border regions of Cameroon,” Alia stated.
These remarks come amidst growing concern regarding a series of attacks across Benue and Plateau States that have resulted in numerous fatalities, the displacement of entire communities, and an escalation of the security crisis in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
Join Informant Online WhatsApp Channel With Link Below: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaihFajBadmT29ufud2
