By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
The Benue State Government has clarified comments Governor Hyacinth Alia made at a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) policy consultation in Abuja, after his remarks on the nature of killings in the state sparked wild reactions.
At the November 19 event, Alia stated that Benue was not experiencing genocide based on religion, ethnicity, or any other identity marker.
“In my State of Benue, we don’t have any religious, any ethnic, any racial, any national, or State genocide… Do we have insecurities in the State? Yes we do, but it is not genocide,” he said.
Following public criticism, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dr. Peter Oboh Egbodo, issued a statement on Friday insisting the Governor’s position was not a denial of the persistent deadly attacks or the grief of affected families.
He said Alia’s intention was to ensure accurate framing of the crisis so that interventions remain effective.
According to the government, the violence in Benue is shaped by a mix of criminal activity, land-use tensions, and targeted attacks not solely religious motives, stressing that misclassifying the situation, could undermine the multi-sectoral responses already underway.
Egbodo stressed that the Governor remains deeply concerned for all affected communities, noting that Alia has intensified collaboration with security agencies, supported displaced populations, and pushed for heightened federal security presence.
The administration has also begun long-term measures aimed at addressing underlying drivers of the conflict.
The government urged the public to interpret the Governor’s remarks within the context of his broader security efforts, saying Alia continues to visit affected areas and remains committed to ending the cycle of violence in Benue State.
