Gov Alia ‘dancing on graves of genocide victims’ — MBF 

 The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has taken a swipe at Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, accusing him of turning his back on victims of mass killings by denying that a religious genocide is occurring in the state.

In a statement issued in Kaduna on Friday by its spokesperson, Luka Binniyat, the forum expressed disbelief that the Governor would publicly contradict his own past declarations despite overwhelming evidence of attacks on Christian farming communities across Benue.

Binniyat recalled that on April 20, 2025, Governor Alia had gone viral in a video where he unmistakably asserted that Benue was under “well targeted, well planned and religiously being executed by terrorists.” The forum questioned why the same Governor now claims genocide is nonexistent.

According to the MBF, Alia’s new position trivialises the anguish of thousands of people murdered over the years and shows disregard for countless families still grieving loved ones lost to violent attacks. The statement described the Governor’s stand as both an insult and a crude distortion of truth.

The forum maintained that systematic attacks have continued across Benue, mostly carried out by armed Fulani militias against predominantly Christian communities.

It said Alia’s denial represents “a grave disservice to survivors who wake every morning under the shadow of slaughter in the hands of Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) who the governor’s timid approach seeks to defend.”

The MBF referenced the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, stressing that the patterns of killings, mass displacement and destruction align with global criteria for genocide. It argued that what is happening in Benue and other Middle Belt states fits the international definition.

The statement added that trying to reframe the ongoing massacres as simple clashes amounts to sanitising brutality. It emphasised that there is no parity in the violence, as communities are being invaded in their homes, farms and marketplaces without provocation, leading to deaths of children, the elderly and entire families.

Binniyat lamented that it is regrettable for a priest and political leader to stand against truth at a time when his people are going through an existential crisis. The forum suggested that the Governor’s recent comments appear to be aimed at undermining mounting international pressure on Nigeria to confront the killings.

It connected the Governor’s remarks to the renewed global attention following the open hearing of the United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa concerning President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to what the MBF has long described as Christian genocide.

The statement pointed to the sheer scale of the bloodshed, citing records from Benue authorities themselves, which put the number of people killed at 5,138 between 2015 and March 2023, with more fatalities recorded afterward.

Independent rights organisations and UN reports reportedly documented multiple mass killings between 2024 and 2025, including nights where dozens, and in some cases hundreds, were murdered in a single attack. The forum said the pattern is sustained, coordinated and worsening.

On displacement, the MBF insisted the human toll is enormous, noting that over 500,000 residents of Benue had been uprooted from their homes by the end of 2024, with figures climbing higher in 2025 as assaults continue. It said these numbers represent shattered towns and abandoned livelihoods, not abstract statistics.

Binniyat accused the Governor of invoking his priesthood as if it shields him from accountability, stressing that faith does not outweigh responsibility to protect people. He added that if the Governor is sincere, he must prioritise security, justice, openness to independent investigation and clear acknowledgment of the atrocities.

The statement ended with a strong reminder that the victims of Benue are entitled to truth and protection, not political evasiveness. It warned that history will not be kind to leaders who hide behind religion while failing in their duty to defend the vulnerable.