Anifowose Samson
Members of the Benue State National Assembly Caucus have reacted strongly to an allegation by Governor Hyacinth Alia, who claimed they were behind the herdsmen attacks plaguing the state.
In a national TV appearance on Thursday, Alia alleged that some lawmakers were “keeping these people in the bushes and taking care of all their bills and buying all the gadgets for them.”
In a statement titled Alia’s Many Lies, Senator Abba Patrick Moro, speaking on behalf of the caucus, described the claims as “baseless, reckless and irresponsible.”
The lawmakers accused Alia of consistently failing to address the root causes of insecurity in the state and playing blame games to distract the public from his administration’s shortcomings.
They recalled how Alia once dismissed reported killings in Benue as “mere skirmishes” and accused him of characterizing victims’ protests as unlawful.
The caucus noted, “In a characteristic demonstration of irresponsibility… a governor in the full glare of a national television would accuse his people of killing their own people.”
The group stated that contrary to the governor’s claims, “Members of the National Assembly have contributed immensely to the solution of the current situation… while the governor continues to stay in the comfort of Government House, Makurdi.”
They demanded a public apology from the governor, a police investigation to clear their names, and a call for Alia to focus on governance rather than propaganda.
They emphasised that “Never in the history of Benue State has a governor been known to speak from both sides of his mouth on issues, especially those that concern the lives and property of the people.”
