By

Fely Mammah, Abuja

 

The Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hycienth Iormen Alia, has continued to appeal to the public not to deviate from the clear truth because of the misinterpretation of his earlier remarks on genocide. According to him, “both Muslims and Christians have been killed. Attempts to frame this as purely religious are misleading and dangerous.”

 

Emphasising the power of ideas and the value of accurate information, Governor Alia reminded journalists that their role is not destructive but constructive. “You journalists are not weapons of mass destruction; you are weapons of societal construction. One phone call can clarify an issue. Don’t confuse the entire society,” he cautioned. He urged the media to avoid amplifying misinterpretations or politicising the crisis, warning that careless reporting could worsen tensions.

 

Fr. Alia insisted that his comments had been twisted by individuals with negative intentions, even as he continued to provide clarification. “I never denied that my people were killed. I remain firm that we have bandits and terrorists who come fully organised to destroy, maim, and kill,” he stated.

 

Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, whose literary contributions have shaped many scholars, echoed the governor’s belief in the centrality of education. During his recent visit to Governor Alia, Soyinka ensured that his earlier donation of educational materials to displaced children during the crisis had been distributed fairly. He toured affected areas in Makurdi, including IDP camps, witnessing first-hand the devastation that undermines the progress recorded under Alia’s leadership in just two years.

 

Governor Alia’s emotional outcry prompted the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alongside Sen. Oluremi Tinubu and other national and international dignitaries. Many continue to affirm that Governor Alia stood courageously as a lone voice defending his people, strongly supported by the Tor Tiv, Prof. Iyorwuese Ityavstse.

 

Benue citizens—largely farmers—guard their land with pride. Fr. Alia, himself a successful farmer in his youth, has long understood the importance of agriculture as the backbone of survival. The attacks struck the very sectors that sustain the state—an event that could have driven a weaker leader to flee. Instead, he remained with his people, crying out for help while looking to higher powers for rescue, much like Jacob in the scriptures.

 

The ordeal faced by the governor and his people resembles the biblical furnace of fire that held Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Prof. Soyinka’s visit affirmed that education—the foundation of civilisation—must never be extinguished by crisis. His presence further reinforced that the suffering of Benue people was neither religious nor tribal, nor rooted in communal conflict, but a deliberate and unexpected act of genocide.

 

Governor Alia, an intellectual and long-standing spiritual leader, understands deeply what it means to lose trust and restore hope. Knowing he would be accountable for every life lost under his watch, he promptly sought political, personal, and spiritual support. He clarified that his earlier remark about attackers executing plans “religiously” was idiomatic, not literal. Every lost life, he said, weighs heavily on him as governor.

 

He stressed that discussions about genocide should reflect the United Nations’ definition and historical context, adding that careless use of the term leads to confusion. “This situation is multi-sectoral. Don’t reduce it to religion. Benue has suffered violence and displacement, which explains the high number of IDP camps today,” he explained.

 

In a heartfelt reassurance to his people, Governor Alia said:

“Benue people, you are my brothers and sisters. My mother lives among you. My late father’s grave is in the soil of Vandiekya. I am a born Tiv man. After my tenure, I will remain in Benue to see the results of the work I have done and continue supporting the progress of my state. I will reap from where I have sown, and at God’s appointed time, my body will rest in the land I come from.”

 

I Love Benue State, My Fatherland, and the Citizens—My People.