Benue 2027 aspirants fault Alia over ‘no genocide’ comment
A coalition of 2027 governorship aspirants from the Kunav extraction of Vandeikya Local Government Area has faulted Governor Hyacinth Alia’s recent claim that there is “no religious genocide in Benue State,” describing the remark as dangerous and inconsistent with years of documented violence.
Alia had at a forum on the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja on Wednesday, dismissed the claims of religious genocide in Benue state.
But speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the aspirants, drawn from the APC, PDP, APGA and ADC said the governor’s comment contradicts security records, humanitarian reports and public statements by traditional authorities.
They recalled that Benue has witnessed sustained and coordinated attacks across more than 14 local government areas over nearly two decades, targeting farming communities, displacing thousands, and leading to long-term occupation of ancestral lands.
The coalition cited several incidents, including the killing of two Catholic priests in 2018, the Yelewata massacre of 2025 and multiple fatal attacks recorded between January and June this year, arguing that these incidents align with mass atrocity indicators used by the UN, AU and ECOWAS.
According to them, the governor’s position has grave implications for security planning, humanitarian access and federal support, warning that denial could embolden perpetrators and deepen the despair of displaced communities.
They further referenced the Tor Tiv, HRM Prof. James Ayatse, who had earlier described the attacks as “well planned genocidal and systematic land grabbing.”
The group demanded an immediate retraction of the governor’s remarks, a public apology to victims, and the establishment of an atrocities documentation framework to guide security and humanitarian interventions.
They also called for renewed engagement with national and international partners to restore occupied communities and rebuild devastated settlements.
The press conference was attended by ESV. Godwin Ityoachimin (APC), Joseph Waya (APGA), Prof. Terhemba Shija (ADC) and Prof. Paul Angya (ADC) while prof. Dennis Ityavyar (PDP) and Hon. Dominic Ucha (PDP) were absent but sent their solidarity messages
The aspirants insisted that their intervention was not political, but a call for honest leadership capable of confronting the state’s security realities.
