A coalition of 2027 Benue State governorship aspirants from the Kunav bloc in Vandeikya Local Government Area has taken strong exception to Governor Hyacinth Alia’s recent claim that “there is no religious genocide in Benue State,” describing it as a dangerous denial that undermines security, humanitarian support, and the dignity of victims.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the aspirants—drawn from the APC, PDP, APGA and ADC warned that the governor’s remarks contradict years of documented killings, displacement and land occupation across the state.

They noted that more than 14 local government areas of Benue State have suffered sustained armed attacks over nearly two decades, with farming communities repeatedly targeted, thousands displaced into long-term IDP camps, and ancestral lands overtaken after coordinated raids.

They cited previous intelligence assessments and public declarations by armed groups, including the 2018–2019 statements by Miyetti Allah referencing the Benue anti–open grazing law, as evidence of a pattern of atrocities that cannot be dismissed.

The coalition listed several high-profile incidents, including the 2018 killing of two Catholic priests and parishioners during Mass; the Yelewata massacre earlier in 2025—which drew international condemnation; and a string of attacks this year in Anwule, Jato-Aka, Anwase, Katsina-Ala and four other LGAs that left scores dead, homes razed and security personnel ambushed.

According to the group, these incidents meet internationally recognised indicators for mass atrocities as used by the UN Office on Genocide Prevention, the African Union and ECOWAS conflict monitoring systems.

They warned that the governor’s public denial carries serious policy consequences—misleading security strategies, weakening the state’s case for federal intervention, restricting access to international humanitarian assistance and sending a demoralising signal to the tens of thousands still languishing in IDP camps.

“Denial of atrocities emboldens perpetrators,” the coalition said, adding that the Tor Tiv, HRM Prof. James Ayatse, had earlier described the series of attacks as a “genocidal and systematic land-grabbing action” in a statement delivered before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The aspirants demanded an immediate retraction of Governor Alia’s comment, a public apology to victims and displaced families, and the establishment of an Atrocities Documentation and Response Framework to ensure proper classification of attacks, guide security action and support the state’s push for federal and international assistance.

They also called for transparent reporting and renewed engagement with humanitarian and development partners.

Declaring themselves united across party lines, the aspirants—ESV Godwin Ityoachimin (APC), Joseph Waya (APGA), Prof. Terhemba Shija (ADC), Prof. Paul Angya (ADC), Prof. Dennis Ityavyar (PDP) and Rt. Hon. Dominic Ucha (PDP insist that their intervention was not political but a duty to truth, security and justice.

“Benue’s pain must be acknowledged. Benue’s losses must be documented. Benue’s future must be protected,” they said. (The Guardian)