Makurdi, Nigeria – April 22, 2025 — Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has claimed that foreign armed militants are responsible for the recent wave of deadly attacks across communities in the state.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, Governor Alia alleged that the assailants, who have been terrorizing local governments in Benue, speak languages and dialects unfamiliar to the indigenous people.
“They don’t speak like us,” Alia said. “Even the Hausa they speak is not the Hausa we know. The Fulani they speak is also different. Our people say these attackers sound like Malians. They are not Nigerians—believe it.”
The governor’s comments come in the wake of escalating violence in the state, including the April 16 attacks on Otobi-Akpa and Emichi communities in Otukpo Local Government Area, and Utonkon in Ado LGA, where several residents were killed by gunmen.
Earlier this month, youths in Otukpo staged a protest against the surge in kidnappings and killings, blocking the Otukpo-Enugu federal highway to demand urgent government action on insecurity.
Governor Alia emphasized that the current wave of violence differs from the traditional clashes previously seen between farmers and local herders.
“This is the second phase of insecurity we are witnessing,” he said. “We had fewer problems with traditional herders who moved around with sticks and cattle. These new attackers are heavily armed with AK-47s and 49s. They do not bear the Nigerian look.”
He further revealed that intelligence reports indicate the presence of terrorist hideouts in neighboring Taraba and Nasarawa states, as well as across the border in Cameroon.
“The way these killings are being planned and executed shows a high level of coordination,” Alia said. “Benue shares porous borders with Cameroon, and these attackers strike and retreat with frightening precision. We are under siege.”
The governor called on the federal government and security agencies to intensify efforts in securing the borders and dismantling known terrorist camps to prevent further bloodshed.
