Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has commended the Federal Government and the United States for their interventions aimed at tackling insecurity in Benue and other parts of the North-Central region.
Alia, while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, described the interventions as “very helpful”.
The governor, however, called for increased cooperation among states in the North-Central region, saying a joint approach was necessary to effectively confront the security challenges threatening communities across the area.
He stressed that governments should move away from simply responding to attacks after they occur and instead intensify efforts to identify the perpetrators and prevent violence before it happens.
“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.
According to Alia, security agencies and governments must adopt a more coordinated strategy rather than operating in isolation.
“We also need to know that we have a need. Instead of reacting, we should work, and we must work towards prevention,” he said.
He explained that greater unity among North-Central states would strengthen their ability to protect residents, preserve livelihoods and create an environment conducive to economic growth.
The governor maintained that no state in the region could afford to ignore insecurity affecting its neighbours, noting that attacks in one part of the North-Central region could eventually have consequences for others.
“So, if you belong to the region and you are seemingly comfortable while the others are not, then we cannot talk as a common entity,” Alia said.
Alia also highlighted the economic opportunities available across the region but said insecurity continued to undermine the ability of states to maximise their potential.
He praised the Federal Government for its response to the security situation in Benue, particularly the deployment of additional military formations and other security personnel to areas affected by recurring attacks.
“The intervention by the United States was very, very helpful to us. We must say the fact as it is, and the interventions that the Federal Government has been doing are very supportive of us,” Alia said.
The governor further revealed that one of the military divisions recently approved by President Bola Tinubu would have responsibility for Benue, Kogi and Nasarawa states, with its headquarters expected to be established in Makurdi.
“In fact, one of the divisions that Mr President created as a state here, we also have one that would cover Benue, Kogi, and Nasarawa. It should be headquartered right here in Benue, Makurdi,” he said.
He said the security reinforcement would extend beyond major towns, with troops expected to be deployed to communities that have suffered repeated attacks.
“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.
The governor also spoke on the controversy surrounding the description of the killings in parts of northern Nigeria as a Christian genocide.
Alia said there was considerable agreement that the scale of the killings amounted to genocide but acknowledged that there remained differences over whether the violence should specifically be classified as a Christian genocide.