Published: September 2, 2026
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has commended the Federal Government and the United States for their interventions aimed at addressing insecurity in Benue State and other parts of the North-Central region.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Governor Alia described the interventions as “very helpful,” while calling for stronger cooperation among states in the region to tackle insecurity more effectively.
According to the governor, governments and security agencies must move beyond reacting to attacks after they occur and focus more on identifying those responsible and preventing future violence.
“Instead of reacting, we should work, and we must work towards prevention,” Alia said.
Alia Calls for North-Central Cooperation
Governor Alia stressed that insecurity should not be treated as an isolated problem affecting individual states.
He argued that attacks in one North-Central state could eventually have consequences for neighbouring states, making regional cooperation essential.
“We need peace in our region. We need to get into the sources where we are very vulnerable, and their acts are continuing. We need to know those who are responsible for this,” he said.
Alia said greater coordination among North-Central states would help protect residents, safeguard livelihoods and create a more secure environment for economic development.
He added that states in the region could not claim to be united while ignoring insecurity affecting their neighbours.
More Military Presence in Benue
The governor also praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for its response to the security situation in Benue, particularly the deployment of additional military and security personnel to areas affected by persistent attacks.
He disclosed that one of the military divisions recently approved by President Tinubu would cover Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states, with its headquarters expected to be located in Makurdi.
“It should be headquartered right here in Benue, Makurdi,” Alia said.
He further explained that the security reinforcement would not be limited to major towns.
According to him, battalions would be stationed in communities that have experienced repeated attacks, while additional security units would be established in other vulnerable locations.
“Most of the places where we have been having these persistent attacks, a number of battalions would be stationed there, and certain units would also spring up in different other locations,” he said.
US Intervention Described as Helpful
Governor Alia also acknowledged the role of the United States in efforts to address insecurity in the region.
“The intervention by the United States was very, very helpful to us,” he said, adding that the Federal Government’s interventions had also been supportive.
The governor maintained that sustained security efforts were necessary to enable communities across Benue and the wider North-Central region to recover, protect their livelihoods and take advantage of the economic opportunities available to them.
Debate Over ‘Christian Genocide’ Description
Alia also addressed the controversy surrounding the description of killings in parts of northern Nigeria as a Christian genocide.
The governor said there was significant agreement regarding the severity and scale of the killings, but acknowledged that differences remained over whether the violence should specifically be classified as a Christian genocide.
He nevertheless stressed the need for authorities to address the insecurity and identify those behind the attacks, regardless of how the violence is ultimately classified.
For Benue and other affected communities, the governor’s position remains that prevention, intelligence gathering and stronger cooperation among states and security agencies are crucial to ending the cycle of violence.
