‘This is politics taken too far’ – Catholic Priest blasts Gov Alia over comment on Benue killings

A Catholic priest of the Diocese of Otukpo, Rev. Fr. Francis Atama, has criticized Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, over his remarks on the security situation in Benue State.

The governor has come under fire for claiming that the recent killings in Benue have nothing to do with religion.

Alia made the remarks during a consultative forum organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, which addressed the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs).

In his statement, Alia said: “In my state of Benue, we don’t have any religious, ethnic, racial, national or state genocide. … Do we have insecurity in the state? Yes, we do. But it is not genocide. Someone would need to check the United Nations’ definitions to understand this.”

He also rejected the notion of a jihad in his state or in Nigeria:

“We do not have any jihad in Nigeria … If anything like that were happening in Benue … I would have been the first to make the alarm. There is no Christian genocide in Benue State.”

Alia’s comment has sparked outrage among Nigerians, particularly Christians, who viewed it as a betrayal of the Church and the body of Christ.

Reacting to the statement, Fr. Atama described Alia’s comment as “politics taken too far.” He wrote:

“The Church, which teaches that priests should not engage in partisan politics, is wiser than many think. I wonder when killings will be large enough to be termed genocide. This is politics taken too far. The Catholic Church, by her nature, is pro-life. Life is valued from conception to death. I love Fr. Alia as a person. However, this one no enter.”