Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has refuted claims suggesting that any form of genocide is occurring within the state, insisting that while insecurity remains a challenge, it should not be misrepresented as the targeted extermination of any group.
Speaking at a public function on Wednesday, the governor, who is a Catholic priest, stressed that his commitment to truth is rooted in his calling and moral duty.
He said, “I am a Reverend Father, so being in governance does not take that away from me. I am still a Reverend Father. I came in as a governor as a Reverend Father. I am working with the fear of God and the compassion of Christianity and humanity, and at the end of the day, I am still going back to the church as a Reverend Father and a Christian.”
Addressing the claims directly, Alia maintained that Benue State is not witnessing any form of religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide.
He added, “In my state of Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide. We don’t have that. Do we have a number of insecurities in the state? Yes, we do, but it is not a genocide.”