APC condemns Benue Give for suppressing protesters over herders’ massacre of citizens

By Msugh Ityokura

The All Progressives Congress, APC has Condemned Benue state governor, Hyacinth Alia’s suppression of peaceful protesters who came out en mass, Sunday, to draw the relevant authorities attention to the ongoing massacre of citizens in the state by marauding Fulani herdsmen.

The party, under the leadership of Comrade Austin Agada, expressed deep sympathy to the people who, faced with unrelenting violence and government silence, took to the streets in peaceful protest, only to be met with state-sponsored brutality.

“We are both heartbroken and outraged by credible reports that peaceful protesters in Wurukum and surrounding areas, gathered in mourning and solidarity following the recent massacre of over 200 innocent citizens, were shot at, injured, and violently dispersed, allegedly on the orders of the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.

“This barbaric response to defenceless citizens exercising their constitutional rights is condemnable and represents a new low in the governance of our dear state” the party said in a statement issued in Makurdi, the state capital.

The party said “the irony is tragic and telling: while our people are being slaughtered in their ancestral homes by suspected armed Fulani herdsmen, the very government they elected turns its guns on them. What further proof is needed that the Alia administration has not only failed in its primary duty to protect lives and property, but is now complicit in the suffering and silencing of its own citizens”.

The APC noted that It has become painfully evident that the ongoing violence across Benue communities has been enabled by the Governor’s deliberate inaction, glaring disinterest, and absence of political will.

Despite receiving substantial security votes, the party noted the Alia administration has failed to provide essential logistics to security agencies, refused to engage critical stakeholders, and ignored channels of intelligence-sharing that could help avert attacks.

Instead of offering leadership in a time of crisis, APC berated Alia for building a record of denial, deflection and defensiveness saying he once boasted that no killings had occurred since he took office.

“At other times, he referred to coordinated massacres as “mere skirmishes.” Worse still, he has justified the presence of the armed aggressors under the cover of ECOWAS protocols, conveniently ignoring international treaties, including the Geneva Conventions, that impose a clear duty on state authorities to protect citizens from violence, displacement, and genocide”.

This posture the party’s state publicity secretary, Dan Ihomun said stands in stark contrast to past Benue leaders who, despite similar security constraints, stood firmly with their people.

“They resisted invaders with courage, backed both local and federal security efforts, and never turned their backs on communities in distress, let alone attack peaceful mourners. Governor Alia has tragically chosen the opposite path” he said.

This most recent assault on peaceful protesters Ihomun noted marks a dangerous descent into authoritarianism and represents a betrayal of the Benue spirit of democracy, resilience, and justice.

“We strongly condemn the intimidation, harassment and violent suppression of peaceful demonstrators. We hold the Governor personally responsible for the worsening crisis and for his administration’s silence and complicity”.

Besides, he APC in Benue State calls on the Federal Government, civil society organizations, human rights groups, and the international community to urgently intervene in the deteriorating situation in Benue as the people cannot be left at the mercy of both external invaders and internal repression.

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The party therefore, demanded an immediate release of all protesters arrested as well as an independent investigation into the shooting of protesters.

Other demands are Justice for the victims and their families and an end to the culture of impunity, neglect, and authoritarian suppression in the state, emphasizing that “enough is enough.