ARMED HERDERS ENTERING BENUE WITHOUT CATTLE RESPONSIBLE FOR MASSACRE – GOVERNOR ALIA
By IDNN State Security Desk
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has declared that the deadly attacks on communities in Guma Local Government Area were carried out by armed herders who entered the state without cattle, suggesting that the long-standing farmer-herder conflict has been hijacked by terrorists and cross-border militias.
Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Alia described the evolving pattern of violence as one driven not by grazing disputes, but by organised armed invasions with no livestock in sight.
“The herders who come now do not bring cows. They come with AK-47s and AK-49s,” the governor said.
He added that these armed assailants often kill and destroy, only for new groups to arrive later and occupy the land.
“THIS IS NO LONGER FARMERS VS HERDERS. IT IS TERRORISM.”
Governor Alia noted that the situation had deteriorated beyond the traditional farmer-herder friction, warning that the Benue crisis now involved foreign-trained fighters, bandits, and sleeper terrorist cells crossing into Nigeria through Nasarawa and Cameroon borders.
“We tagged them ‘armed herders’ but what we’re now facing is full-blown banditry. They attack, destroy, and after a week, strangers come to occupy,” Alia said.
He also suggested that some of the attacks may be supported by collaborators within local communities, further complicating efforts to protect vulnerable villages.
DISPLACEMENT RETURNS DESPITE HARVEST SEASON
Alia revealed that after a period of relative peace last year, residents had returned to farming, resulting in a bountiful harvest. But the new attacks have re-displaced thousands, destroying farms, homes, and food stores.
“We had some progress in reintegrating our displaced citizens, but this farming season has now become a blood season,” he added.
The governor called for more border control, surveillance operations, and real-time intelligence coordination between Benue and neighbouring states.