Critics Misunderstood Alia’s Remarks on Benue Security Crisis, Says Group

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Pathfinder Arewa Project (PAP) has said that the outrage that followed Governor Hyacinth Alia’s refusal to describe the killings in Benue State as genocide against Christians arose from a misunderstanding of facts and an overheated emotional climate.

In a statement  yesterday in Kaduna, Chairman of PAP,  Abdulhamid Jakadan, said the governor’s remarks, which drew criticism from political opponents and interest groups, were rooted in the need for accuracy in language and governance.

He noted that the governor’s position focused on what he described as “the central importance of accurate diagnosis.”

Alia had on November 20 told participants at a National Human Rights Commission consultative forum in Abuja that there is no genocide against Christians in Benue state, while acknowledging the state’s security challenges.

His comments immediately attracted backlash and accusations of insensitivity.

The Arewa Pathfinder, however, argued that those interpreting the killings as genocide against Christians “failed to understand the heavy implications of applying the genocide label.”

The statement stressed that “The word genocide carries a heavy legal, moral and diplomatic burden. It invokes international instruments, triggers global attention, and imposes obligations on states to investigate, prosecute, provide reparations, resettle victims, and sometimes invite foreign scrutiny. It is not a term for blanket usage or for rhetorical flourish.”

Jakadan said the governor’s caution was not an attempt to downplay the suffering in the state but a call for precise language in a complex security environment. According to PAP, “Alia’s insistence that Benue’s crisis does not meet that standard is not a denial of the suffering of his people. Rather, it is a call for precision.”

The group emphasised that violence in Benue is driven by multiple actors and motives.

PAP stated that “There are criminal elements, land disputes, banditry, attacks by heavily armed groups, cattle herders, agro pastoralist tensions, and opportunistic killers exploiting porous borders and weak security.” It warned that branding the situation as “Christian genocide” “flattens nuance, glosses over other victims and may actually hinder effective, targeted security solutions.”

PAP also underscored the governor’s commitment to inclusive leadership, saying his refusal to adopt a sectarian frame ensures that “the pain and trauma of displaced people, of victims from different backgrounds, of children and women, of farmers and traders must all count.”

The statement cautioned that reducing the crisis to religious lines could inflame divisions, trigger reprisals, and obstruct reconciliation efforts.

It added that while some political interests may benefit from amplifying a genocide narrative, “such reductionism might benefit immediate political calculations but it would imperil long term peace, social cohesion and the security of minority groups ignored in a Christian centric narrative.”

The group warned that critics risk missing the broader point about responsible governance. “Over labelling could backfire, it could inflame passions, provoke retaliation, scare off investors, drive away humanitarian actors, undermine federal cooperation and close off avenues of reconciliation It could also invite external pressure, meddling, and destabilising interventions that might exacerbate rather than resolve insecurity,” PAP said.

The group noted the governor’s repeated appeal for calm, stressing that words “have the power to ignite panic, trigger reprisals and stoke ethnic or religious hatred.”

“Calls to declare Christian genocide in Benue carry political mileage for some actors, especially those positioning themselves for future elections.

“The politics of fear, identity, and victimhood can be potent,” the group said.

PAP commended the governor for refusing to “weaponize grief” and instead pursuing what it described as “a politics of inclusion for security measures rather than symbolic declarations.”

It added that Alia’s position aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s efforts in addressing the nation’s security challenges.

The group said it is possible to “grieve, demand justice, cry for victims and yet refuse to inflame sectarian passions.”

The statement added that  for Benue to rise, “It must rebuild communities, reclaim farms, restore trust, resettle the displaced, prosecute crime  and ensure not just survival but hope.”