Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has accused some members of the National Assembly of being responsible for the widespread killings in the state.
Mr Alia, who stated this during an interview on Channels TV, disclosed that a panel set up by the state government indicted some of the politicians.
He said the panel is expected to be finalised next week, after which Mr Alia vowed to take up the matter seriously.
He specifically blamed members of the National Assembly and top politicians for sponsoring the violence.
According to him, the politicians are not only instigating the attacks but also harbouring and financing the terrorists.
He also lamented that the state is not only under attack but siege.
“We are under siege,” he said. “The way these attacks come and the intel we receive, it is a directed, calibrated plan and then executed.”
He described the attacks as “directed, planned, and executed” with intelligence reports showing a high level of accuracy, around 60-65%.
“We are receiving those intel. Of late, each of the intel we receive, 60 to 65 per cent of it is quite accurate.
“And then when you realise what is going on, it is beyond just conflict, it is beyond just an ethnic fight between herders and farmers in our state, it is directed, it is planned and then it is executed, it is some terrorism.”
Mr Alia emphasised his commitment to protecting the lives of Benue people, stating it was his right to do so.
He, however, insisted that he no longer viewed the attacks as a clash between farmers and herders.
He explained that those carrying out the attacks were specialised killers—terrorists who engage in a form of guerrilla warfare.
“For some reason, none of them is ever caught, they come in in the thick of the night, hit, run and nobody sees a trace. So, it is some terrorism that is eating us up,” he remarked.
While accusing some politicians in Abuja of sponsoring the attacks, the governor revealed that an interim report from a judicial panel he set up had indicted several big names.
“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. Between Tuesday and Wednesday next week, I am going to get a full report from the panel.
“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.
“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.
“So, once we receive this report the coming week, we are going to take it up and take it seriously.”
