Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has attributed the recent surge in deadly attacks across the state to foreign elements, claiming that those responsible for the violence are not Nigerians.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, the governor expressed concern over the increasing frequency and brutality of attacks, stating that the perpetrators exhibit unfamiliar characteristics and communicate in languages not commonly spoken in Nigeria.
“In Nigeria, we can generally identify people by their ethnic backgrounds – be it Fulani, Yoruba, or Hausa. Even the traditional herders, who are familiar to us, move with sticks while tending cattle,” Alia said. “But these attackers are different. They arrive fully armed with AK-47s and AK-49s. Their appearance and dialects do not match those of typical Nigerians.”
Governor Alia emphasized that linguistic assessments conducted by locals familiar with the attackers’ speech patterns suggest they may be from neighboring countries such as Mali.
“This is a new wave of violence, far more dangerous than previous clashes with local herders,” he continued. “The traditional herders posed some challenges, but what we are facing now is something far more alarming. These are coordinated attacks, executed with military-like precision. We are under siege.”
In the past two weeks, over 50 people have been killed, and numerous communities in Benue and Plateau states have been displaced following violent attacks by suspected herders
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Governor Alia also pointed to the porous nature of Nigeria’s borders as a critical vulnerability. “Some of our local government areas share borders with Cameroon. These borderlines are poorly secured, allowing terrorists to move freely. Intelligence suggests that they have operational bases in Taraba, Nasarawa, and border areas of Cameroon,” he said.
The governor called for urgent intervention to address what he described as an escalating security threat that has displaced hundreds and destabilized communities.
