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Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, on Wednesday dismissed claims circulating internationally that religious genocide is occurring in the state, insisting that such allegations are unfounded.
Speaking at a consultative forum on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs) organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, the governor said Benue’s security challenges do not meet the global definition of genocide.
He said, “in my state of Benue, we don’t have any religious, ethnic, racial, national or state genocide. Do we have insecurity? Yes. But it is not genocide. Anyone making such claims should check the United Nations definition.”
Mr Alia, a Catholic priest turned politician, also dismissed insinuations of a jihad or religious war in any part of Nigeria, noting that if such were occurring, he would be the first to raise an alarm.
Nigeria has, in recent years, come under international scrutiny over alleged persecution of Christians, with some U.S. lawmakers and organisations pushing for the country to be designated a Country of Particular Concern.
However, both the Nigerian government and several independent investigations including a BBC review of U.S. data have failed to verify claims of targeted religious killings.
The governor disclosed that he had met with officials of the United States Embassy in Abuja to clarify the situation in Benue.
According to him, Nigeria’s widespread insecurity, driven by banditry, resource conflicts, weak governance, and terror activities, affects both Christians and Muslims indiscriminately.
Benue State has suffered repeated attacks over the years. Data from the Armed Conflict Event and Location Data (ACLED) show that more than 800 people have been killed, and nearly 400 others kidnapped in the state within the last two years.
One of the deadliest incidents occurred on 14 June, when coordinated attacks in Yelewata, Guma LGA, claimed over 100 lives.
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