According to Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, the people there require the full assistance of the federal government rather than a state of emergency.
This was said by Alia during his appearance on Wednesday’s episode of “The Morning Show” on Arise Television.
He clarified that he has control over the insecurity in Benue and that he can manage the situation, but that further assistance from the FG is required to put a stop to the crisis.
He claimed that while his government is capable of halting the state’s killings, they require more assistance in order to drive out the armed herders who are targeting local towns.
“For now, we need emergency assistance,” he stated. We require unwavering assistance. There is support for the federal government. They entered with two armored tanks. Things had changed for us.
We had a more compelling story, but we must return our people to their homeland and expel the armed invaders who have brought in individuals who do not even speak the Nigerian languages that we do.
“Let them move back to wherever they came from and allow us farmers to go back to our ancestral land. Calling for any emergency does not occur here.”
Alia, however, rejected the idea that the security issue in the state was too much for him to manage.
He noted that the number of local governments under attack has dropped from 17 to six since he took office.
He said this shows that his administration can handle the violence and destruction caused by killer herders, many of whom, he believes, are not even Nigerians.
He stated, “We couldn’t have trimmed it from 17 local governments in the front lines of the attacks to nine and then now to six, which means we have the capability to do this, but we need help. And that is a fact.”
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