The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has pushed back against criticism that the Federal Government has abandoned the state amid renewed killings by suspected armed herders.
Speaking on The Morning Brief on Channels Television on Monday, the governor insisted that President Bola Tinubu has been giving Benue “full support” in the ongoing efforts to secure the state from what he described as “blood-thirsty marauders.”
Alia disclosed that the number of local government areas previously overrun by attackers has significantly reduced due to federal intervention.
“If he [President Tinubu] didn’t have an understanding of what is going on, he wouldn’t be giving us full support,” the governor said.
He added, “Seventeen local governments out of 23 were under siege. We fought it down to nine, then to six, and now to three. That progress was due to the support we got from the Federal Government.”
According to him, after a particularly severe wave of attacks, the Presidency deployed three special security units to the state, which helped dislodge the invaders from several communities.
“Those who had occupied the spaces in the local governments had to leave,” Alia stated.
Despite the governor’s reassurances, the spate of attacks has not relented. On Friday, June 15, 2025, suspected herdsmen launched a night assault on the Yelewata community in the Guma Local Government Area, leaving at least 59 people dead, including military and civil defence officers who attempted to protect the residents.
The gruesome attack is the latest in a series of killings that have continued unabated in recent months.
In April 2025, suspected herdsmen killed about 60 residents in coordinated attacks across Ukum and Logo LGAs, while in May, another 42 people were confirmed dead in Gwer West LGA following similar raids.