*Governor (Rev. Father) Hyacinth Alia of Benue State of Nigeria says current security challenges facing the Middle Belt state should not be classified as genocide, warning those seeking to politicise everything, ‘there is no genocide in Benue State’

Alexander Davis | 绿帽献妻

Contrary to claims of Christian genocide by some within and outside Nigeria, especially the United States (US) Government, Governor (Rev. Father) Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has said the security challenges facing the Middle Belt state should not be classified as genocide.

Alia stated this at a consultative forum on protecting the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in Abuja, FCT.

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The Benue Governor, who doubles as a Catholic priest, described recent claims of Christian genocide in the state as inaccurate and inconsistent with internationally recognised definitions.

He also averred: 鈥淚 am a Reverend Father, so being in governance does not take that away from me.

“In my state of Benue, we do not have any religious, ethnic, racial, national, or state genocide. We do not have that.”

Affirming that communities in Benue have experienced significant security incidents over the years, he, however, stressed that such dastardly incidents did not meet the criteria for genocide, as defined by the United Nations (UN).

He further stated: 鈥淒o we have insecurity in the state? Yes, we do. But it is not a genocide.

“One would need to go through the United Nations definitions for this.”

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Going down the memory lane on crises besetting the state, Governor Alia traced the long-running tensions in Benue to conflicts between agro-pastoralists and crop farmers.

The situation, he noted, escalated gradually over many years, but that should not be labelled as genocide.

Alia also clarified the situation: 鈥淗ave we lost people? Yes, at different stages. I鈥檓 giving a background of the challenges we鈥檝e had for many years 鈥� talking about agro-pastoralists and typical farmers.

“It began like a minor issue and then grew to huge proportions. But that does not fit the parameters of a genocide.”

The Benue Governor, therefore, urged stakeholders both within and outside Nigeria to avoid mischaracterising the situation as genocide.

Exaggerations risk politicising a serious security matter, he restated.

Alia explained: 鈥淔or those who seek to politicise everything, there is no genocide in Benue State. “But we do have security challenges.

The United States (US) Government previously, had listed Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC).

US President Donald Trump also expressed worry about reports of attacks on Christian communities in the country.

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