Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, on Tuesday expressed divergent views on the security situation in the State.
Governor Alia described the State as being under relentless siege, citing repeated, calculated attacks by terrorists, bandits, and armed militias.
He said these persistent assaults have not only devastated local economies but also displaced thousands of residents.
However, the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, acknowledged the existence of security threats in the area but maintained that no part of Nigeria is under the control of non-state actors.
This comes amid a surge in violence across the Sankera axis of Benue State—which includes Ukum, Katsina-Ala, and Logo Local Government Areas (LGAs) – where a series of coordinated attacks has led to widespread loss of life and destruction of property.
This is just as at least 11 people were killed on Tuesday in a fresh attack by armed invaders on the Afia community in Ukum LGA of Benue State.
This brings the total number of deaths in the past five days to 83, following coordinated attacks by gunmen on communities in Benue’s Sankera axis comprising Ukum, KatsinaAla and Logo LGAs.
As of Monday, April 21, the death toll from multiple attacks had reached 72. The violence, which began on Thursday, April 17, escalated daily with more bodies recovered across affected areas.
The traditional head of Ukum, Chief Orkaa Kaave (Ter Ukum), disclosed the latest attack while addressing the National Security Adviser (NSA) on Tuesday.
Ribadu visited on the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to commiserate with the governor and people of Benue State over the bloodshed.
“Today (Tuesday), in the Afia community—home of Senator Emmanuel Udende— the killings continue. So far, we have recovered 11 bodies, but they’re still combing the bushes. This is a fresh attack, happening right now,” Chief Kaave said.
Meanwhile, speaking on Tuesday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the Benue Governor described the deteriorating security situation in the State as a sobering and deeply painful moment, lamenting that Benue has been under a sustained siege with “unimaginable loss of lives” since 2011.
Alia claimed that the perpetrators of the killings across the State are not Nigerians and that they speak unfamiliar languages and exhibit foreign characteristics.
He said: “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.
“But these folks [the attackers] are coming in fully armed with AK47s 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.”
The Governor said intelligence from locals suggests 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 marked a new and more dangerous phase of violence compared to previous confrontations 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. These terrorists are everywhere. We are under siege. These people just come and hit and kill and run back. Where are they running to,” he asked.
He further said the attacks appear highly coordinated and strategically executed.
“The way these killings are being planned and carried out is definitely coordinated. Some Local Government Areas in Benue share borders with Cameroon, and those borders are quite porous,” he said.
The Governor also said intelligence reports point to the existence 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.
Earlier during a condolence visit by the NSA to Makurdi, the Governor lamented that Sankera, Benue’s food hub, has been under relentless assault.
“Instead of a Good Friday, we had a Black Friday. Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo were hit with venomous attacks. We lost 72 lives. It’s devastating. This is a terrible moment for us,” he said.
While commending the efforts of security agencies and maintaining close communication with the NSA, Governor Alia stressed the urgent need for deeper federal intervention.
“We need help – like yesterday. The President has shown support, and we are hopeful more will come,” he added.
The Governor disclosed that the state had procured 100 Hilux vehicles and 600 motorcycles to assist conventional security operations but said the scale and coordination of the attacks are deeply troubling.
“This is carnage. The attacks are layered, like an onion – vicious and calculated,” he said.
Written with reports from Daily Trust
