…Benue gradually reintegrating into broader security ecosystem – CPS

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Benue Advocacy Network, BAN, has asked the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led administration to explained to Benue people why it has failed to implement the  state’s Open Grazing Prohibition law thereby allowing armed herdsmen easy access to Benue communities where they kill innocent farmers at will.

Addressing the media weekend in Makurdi, in response to Governor Alia’s recent media chat, the President of BAN, Enoch Ortese, who was flanked by officials of the group knocked the Governor’s outing  which he said left so many questions unanswered amid the people’s distraught.

The group lamented that the present administration had failed to build on the gains recorded by the immediate past administration to safeguard Benue communities from the menace of armed herdsmen who it claimed had taken over various communities in the state unrestrained.

The group insisted that “Governor Alia should explain what has happened to the Benue State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017, and why herders are taking over more communities in the state without any action from his government to stop them.”

While picking holes with the Governor’s outing during the media chat, the BAN wondered why the administration had kept sealed lips on the revenue accruals to the State among among other issues. The group challenged the Governor to “publish the monthly allocations he has received from the federation’s account since May 2023.

“We demand accountability detailing how Benue’s funds are being expended by the governor. We challenge the Governor to disclose the state’s wage bill, especially after he claimed to have removed thousands of ‘ghost workers’ from the state government’s payroll.

“He should publish a list of the ghost schools that his government claims to have discovered, along with a list of the individuals behind such schools.

“The Governor should also publish the cost of the underpasses he has been constructing for nearly two years in Makurdi and Gboko. The Governor should also publish details of the contracts he has awarded to prove that such contracts were not awarded in gross violation of due process. Governor Alia should also publish the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, of the state from May 2023 to date.

“The Governor should inform the people of Benue what his government knows about the sustained attacks on our communities and his plans to end these killings. He should also provide an explanation for the additional camps and tents that his administration is constructing for the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, instead of fulfilling his promise to return them to their ancestral homelands within his first 100 days in office.

“Governor Alia should equally explain to the people of Benue the whereabouts of the 100 vehicles he displayed on the day he launched a new security outfit known as ‘Anyam Nyor’ in December last year. Where are the vehicles, given that no one seems to have sighted them in any part of the state, especially in the face of intensified attacks on our people.”

Dismissing the assertions of BAN in a swift reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula noted that “the Governor’s plans to protect the state and her indigenes are topnotch. However, there should be a clear difference when a refined person is in authority. As a priest, propaganda is far from being a template for governance. The package against the aggressors shall gradually unfold without loudmouth, and Benue people shall regain their full liberty to their land.

“Already, we are witnessing tangible results, as peace is being restored in some  conflict-prone communities,  bordering Nasarawa State, and some parts, bordering Taraba State. Benue is gradually reintegrating into a broader security ecosystem.

“It is also worth clarifying that most of those currently in IDP camps especially in Guma are people whose homes were destroyed. They have remained in camps because they need to rebuild their homes, not because the government has neglected them. Governor Alia’s administration is actively working behind the scenes to ensure their safe and dignified return to their ancestral homes, and that process is ongoing.

“As for the shameful accusation that Governor Alia is ‘in bed with marauders,’ such a claim is as ridiculous as it is malicious and could only be conjured by minds long corrupted by political bitterness.

“Like we said at the beginning, we do not have the luxury of time that idle opposition elements now seem to enjoy. Therefore, we won’t waste further breath responding to every single mis-statement captured in their press release. The facts are in the public domain for all who seek the truth. This government is focused on progress, not performances.”