Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has clarified that he never denied the killing of residents in the state, insisting that his earlier remarks on genocide were taken out of context.
Speaking on Friday after a closed-door discussion with Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka at the Government House, Alia explained that his statement was misunderstood because many people did not grasp the global and historical meaning of the term “genocide.”
According to him, discussions about genocide must align with the United Nations’ definition, which outlines specific criteria, adding that the term is often loosely applied without regard for its proper interpretation.
The governor said the misrepresentation of his remarks had led to avoidable controversy and confusion.
“I have never denied the killings of our people,” he said.
“I have repeatedly stated that we are dealing with bandits and terrorists who come in a well-organised manner to destroy, maim, and kill. Their agenda has always been land grabbing. This crisis did not start as a religious issue.”
Alia noted that the conflict originated as a farmer–herder dispute before escalating into widespread banditry and terrorism.
He stressed that victims cut across various religious groups, cautioning against attempts to portray the violence as faith-based.
On Thursday in Abuja, while speaking at a consultative forum on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons and Forcibly Displaced Persons hosted by the National Human Rights Commission, the governor had said the situation in Benue should not be categorised as genocide.
“As a Reverend Father, that identity remains with me even in government. In Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state-sponsored genocide. That is simply not the case,” he said.
His earlier comment sparked strong reactions, including criticism from Catholic priests under the Nigerian Catholic Diocesan Priests Association, Makurdi Diocese.
Alia urged journalists to avoid politicising the crisis, advising them to seek clarification before publishing interpretations that could heighten tensions.
He emphasised that every life lost weighs heavily on him and appealed to the public to refrain from trivialising the experiences of displaced families.
The governor also warned against framing the violence as a religious conflict.
“The situation involves multiple factors. Don’t narrow it down to religion. Both Christians and Muslims have been killed. Benue is the most populous Christian state in Northern Nigeria, and with that comes certain expectations. But we must not politicise people’s suffering.”
Prof. Wole Soyinka, who also spoke, cautioned Nigerian leaders to be wary of seeking assistance from foreign nations, noting that such interventions could complicate the country’s security challenges.
