Armed men who have been attacking Benue communities in the last two months are foreigners, Governor Hyacinth Alia said last night.
According to him, 73 bodies were recovered in the latest round of attacks by the insurgents who swarmed Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala local government areas.
He explained that the attackers find their way into the communities in their hundreds on motorbikes, armed with “AK-47, AK-49 and machetes”.
The governor revealed that apart from Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala LGAs where 72 persons were killed by the invaders, three other councils – Kwande, Guma, and Gwer West – are now under a deadly siege.
Speaking on a television programme, Alia said: “These folks come in, fully armed with AK-47, AK-49. They don’t bear the Nigerian look, and they don’t speak what we speak.
“Their Hausa is one sort of Hausa, not the normal Hausa we Nigerians speak.
“Our people who have witnessed the attacks say they are Malians and different forms of people, but they are not Nigerians.”
He said the “terrorists” operated from cells in Nasarawa and the Nigeria-Cameroon border near Kwande LGA, exploiting porous borders.
“They come in as they kill, as they maim, as they push people away. They just keep killing, and then they run back,” Alia said, emphasising their coordinated strategy.
The governor said the latest attacks, which turned Good Friday into a “Black Friday,” saw villages in the Sankera axis surrounded at night.
“They surrounded a number of villages. They were ready, just willing to take anything walking or breathing out. Anything on their way is cleared.
“By morning, 72 deaths were confirmed—29 in Ukum, 27 in Logo, three in Katsina-Ala, and others in hospitals—along with countless injuries and displaced residents,” Alia recounted.
He said another body was recovered, which brought the toll to 73.
The governor gave the motive of the marauders as land-grabbing.
“They have occupied some LGAs in the last 15 years,” he said.
Also yesterday, the governor hosted National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, who delivered President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s message.
Ribadu reassured the governor of the Tinubu Administration’s commitment to securing their lives and properties.
Six communities on the red line
Alia highlighted that Ukum, Logo, Katsina-Ala, Kwande, Guma, and Gwer-West of the state’s 23 LGAs are also now on the red line.
“They grab the land, they chase the people out, and they stay in the land. That’s what’s going on because there are some local governments here, and these people have occupied in the last 15 years.
“These occupied areas serve as bases for repeated attacks. Those are the areas you hear of, constant attacks, because they hit and then they go back into the local government hinterlands.
“The attackers also target food security, with herders in their group destroying stored crops. They would now open the barns, destroy the food, cut the yams and whatever. They cut the guinea corn and maize and throw them to the cows to eat,” Alia explained.
Governor backs community policing
Alia said the attackers swarm the communities on bikes, stressing the need to empower the people to defend themselves.
“The terrorists come not just in their 50s but in hundreds, one, two and three hundred, on motorbikes, one motorbike carrying three or four people.
“That’s a lot of terrorists just cruising in. Armed with sophisticated weapons, they outmatch local defences, including the Benue State Civil Protection Guards, who lack heavy weaponry.
“The civil protection guards are also around, but they don’t carry heavy gadgets. The law does not permit them to do this.”
Alia advocated community policing to counter the threat, citing the overstretched state of security agencies.
“The uniform people alone are overstretched. The locals are telling us, we want to go and protect our turf,” he said, supporting calls for self-defence but cautioning against vigilantism.
The governor urged the Federal Government to establish special security operational bases at the borders and equip the locals.
He said that the state has, on its part, provided 100 vehicles and 600 motorbikes for security agencies, but stressed the need for more federal support, including collaboration with the NSA.
A call for urgent action
The governor, however, commended the Police, Army, Civil Defence, and DSS for reducing attacks over the past nine months but warned that the current wave required urgent action.
He said: “The heat is now just quite enormous that more hands should come in.”
He appealed for calm, referencing a recent stakeholder meeting with traditional rulers and civil society.
“We need people to understand that we are under a siege. They shouldn’t just say they would take the law into their own hands.
“I strongly urge our people to remain calm and not take the law into their own hands. This is a new version of terrorism.”
Alia had, during Ribadu’s visit, appealed to the Federal Government to hasten the plan to return Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes.
He expressed the determination of his government to fully support the Federal Government and security agencies to end insecurity in the state.
Alia said: “The attacks have led to IDPs spreading to 20 LGAs in the state.
“The farming populations are all now in the camps waiting for a handout as food.
“If necessary actions are not taken, Benue will no longer be known as the food basket of the nation.
“The attackers have taken over communities and settlements, grazing on the farmlands while their victims are in IDP camps.”
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has ordered the immediate withdrawal of riot policemen deployed as escorts, guards and aides to Very Important Personalities(VIPs) as well as other private individuals.
Egbetokun gave the directive at a meeting with Police Mobile Force (PMF) Squadron Commanders in Abuja yesterday. The meeting was convened to review operational strategies to address the rising insecurity in some parts of the country, especially Plateau and Benue States.
He also announced that each PMF squadron must maintain at least one combat-ready unit on standby for interventions in troubled spots.
The police boss explained that their involvement in non-essential duties defeats the original purpose of the PMF as a tactical unit designed to respond swiftly to riots.
He also noted persistent misconduct by such policemen and warned that their commanders would henceforth be held accountable for their misconduct.
The IGP said: “Directives have already been issued concerning the withdrawal of PMF personnel from unauthorised deployments. All commanders are to enforce this directive without delay.”
“The foundational mandate of the Force has been compromised over time. A significant number of PMF personnel are deployed as escorts, guards or aides to private individuals and VIPs. This diversion weakens our capacity to respond where needed most.
Lamenting that the actions of such policemen tarnish the image of the Force, he said: “Indiscipline and misconduct within the PMF will no longer be tolerated. ‘’Today marks the beginning of a new era—one defined by accountability, discipline, and a recommitment to our founding values.
“Effective immediately, each PMF squadron must maintain at least one fully equipped, combat-ready unit on standby for tactical interventions. Additionally, every squadron will be required to send one unit for quarterly training focused on ethics, professionalism, and responsible policing”.
Egbetokun said that all the commanders are expected to lead regular lectures, inspections and localised training programmes that reinforce discipline and human rights.
“The PMF must once again emerge as the elite tactical unit it was intended to be—disciplined, professional, and ready to defend the nation,” Egbetokun said.
The IGP also highlighted the rising threat of coordinated attacks on security personnel across the country—from separatists in the Southeast to terrorists in the Northeast—and called for a united security front.
He announced that the newly established Special Intervention Squad (SIS) will support PMF deployments in conflict zones.
“Security is a shared responsibility. Our success depends on trust, respect, and cooperation with all sister security agencies”, the IGP said.
As part of broader reforms, Egbetokun disclosed that the Force would embark on a comprehensive reorganisation of the PMF.
“Our focus now is on combating violent crimes and safeguarding national security. We are injecting new leadership perspectives and continuous capacity-building to restore the PMF to its rightful role in internal security and tactical excellence,” he said.
