By BONIFACE AKARAH

A Nigerian lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, has accused the Benue State government of enabling corruption and failing to protect its citizens, as he commiserated with American humanitarian, Alex Barbir, over his recent experience in the state.

Ogebe, in an open letter addressed to Barbir, founder of Building Zion, described the situation in Benue as a “disaster,” alleging that government actions and inactions have worsened insecurity and prolonged the suffering of displaced persons.

“What was done to you… is the system working exactly as it was sabotaged to. In Nigeria, inconvenient truth is treated as a security threat,” Ogebe said.

He claimed that individuals who attempt to document atrocities or support affected communities are often frustrated by state actors.

“Men and women who dare to document, to rebuild, to bear witness, are made to understand swiftly that the machinery of the state protects not the people, but the silence around the people’s suffering,” he added.

The lawyer painted a grim picture of conditions in Benue, saying many communities remain under threat, with thousands of residents still living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps years after attacks.

“Our people remain in IDP camps: displaced, destitute, forgotten and unable to return to the farms their fathers farmed,” he said.

He further alleged that corruption within the system has contributed to the prolonged displacement of victims.

“The corruption is not incidental. It is structural. It is the reason our people remain in the camps: because their displacement is, for some, a revenue stream,” Ogebe stated.

Ogebe also criticised what he described as contradictory government policies, including the alleged rehabilitation of “repentant terrorists” while victims remain without support.

“To add insult to irreparable injury, the state has… opened its arms to so-called ‘repentant terrorists’… while its own indigenes have been displaced for years,” he said.

Citing specific incidents, he claimed that survivors of attacks, including those in Yelewata, continue to live in poor conditions despite intervention efforts by humanitarian groups.

He contrasted Benue’s situation with other conflict-affected states, noting that some have made progress in resettling displaced persons.

“Borno has rebuilt communities but Benue built a pointless flyover for non-existent traffic,” he said.

Ogebe also alleged ethnic bias in the provision of security support, claiming that a community in the Idoma area was abandoned because it did not belong to the dominant ethnic group.

“They asked where it was and when it wasn’t Tiv land, they declined assistance,” he said, describing the development as evidence of marginalisation.

He further revealed that efforts to rebuild affected communities were hindered by lack of government support, including refusal to provide security for humanitarian missions.

Despite the challenges, Ogebe praised Barbir’s intervention, noting that his work has helped restore dignity to affected communities.

“Your work… has restored not just roofs and walls, but dignity. It has told our people… that they are not invisible,” he said.

He urged the American humanitarian not to be discouraged by the resistance encountered, insisting that his efforts would ultimately be recognised.

“What they intended as a dishonor to you, history will record as a badge of honour,” Ogebe added.

Ogebe maintained that lasting solutions to the crisis in Benue would require genuine political will, accountability and a shift away from what he described as systemic neglect of victims.

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