As public outrage grows over the escalating violence in Benue State, former Governor Samuel Ortom has launched a scathing attack on his successor, Governor Hyacinth Alia, accusing him of playing politics with the security crisis and failing to implement President Bola Tinubu’s roadmap for peace.
Ortom’s remarks, issued through his media aide Terver Akase, followed comments by Alia’s media aide, Kula Tersoo, who criticized Ortom’s administration for allegedly creating the worst internal displacement crisis in Benue’s history.
Tersoo claimed over four million residents were displaced under Ortom, citing the figure as evidence of the failure of past strategies.
However, Ortom dismissed the claim, stating that the actual figure of 1.5 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which was officially handed over to the Alia administration in 2023, remains the most credible data.
He accused the current government of minimizing the crisis, concealing casualty figures, and branding the persistent killings by armed herdsmen as mere communal clashes.
“People are being slaughtered like animals, and the state government is playing games with the facts,” Ortom said. “The governor keeps shifting narratives — from blaming foreigners to accusing Abuja politicians, and most recently, religious leaders.”
He warned that the governor’s conflicting positions reveal either ignorance or deliberate misdirection, and urged Alia to urgently implement the security blueprint recommended by President Tinubu during his recent visit to the state.
“It has been five days since the President’s visit, and no step has been taken to follow through with his actionable recommendations,” Ortom said.
The former governor also called for full financial autonomy for Benue’s 23 local governments, citing increased allocations since the removal of fuel subsidy.
He urged Alia to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing councils to manage their own resources for improved grassroots security and development.
Meanwhile, prominent human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has berated both the federal and Benue State governments for failing to prosecute suspects arrested in connection with the attacks.
In a statement made available to The PUNCH, Falana said that despite repeated arrests, there had been no meaningful prosecution.
“It is clear the authorities are treating the killers in Benue as sacred cows,” Falana said. He challenged the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Fidelis Mnyim, to initiate immediate prosecution of those arrested in connection with the killings.
Falana referenced a December 2024 police report which confirmed 273 suspects had been arrested with illegal firearms recovered. He also cited the police’s January 2024 discovery of an illegal weapons factory in the state, and the April 2025 arrest of three herdsmen following the massacre of 11 persons in Otukpo LGA.
Most recently, he mentioned the arrest of three suspected kidnappers on June 19, 2025, with police confirming at least 43 suspected killers apprehended in just the past ten days. “Despite these arrests, not a single trial has been launched. This is unacceptable,” Falana added.
Falana also criticized Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, for blaming Yelwata residents for harboring killers, describing it as a diversionary tactic aimed at blaming victims instead of addressing systemic failures.
Amid the turmoil, the Alago Ikweyi Gbayi Development Union (AIGDU) in Nasarawa State has urged the federal government to expedite the physical demarcation of the Nasarawa–Benue boundary. The group believes clear boundaries will help reduce recurring attacks in border communities.
Reacting to recent statements by the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse, who alleged Tiv communities in Nasarawa were being dispossessed, the AIGDU clarified that Yelwata — the flashpoint of recent attacks — is historically part of Nasarawa’s Keana LGA.
“While we don’t support the violence, claims of land theft are unfounded,” the group stated in a release signed by its leaders.
Meanwhile, the Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation is calling for justice over the murder of more than 200 people in recent coordinated attacks across Benue.
During a burial ceremony for one of the victims on Saturday, the foundation’s President, Rev. Dr. Gideon Para-Mallam, condemned the brutality and urged authorities to ensure justice prevails.
Narrating harrowing accounts, Dr. Para-Mallam described survivors’ experiences, including that of a child dragged from a burning building and attacked with a machete. “Forgiveness is strength, but it must not replace justice,” he said.
The foundation donated food, clothing, and ₦1 million in aid to affected families, reaffirming its commitment to peacebuilding and sustained advocacy.
As tensions continue to rise, the people of Benue State are left demanding accountability and decisive leadership in the face of worsening insecurity.
