Benue killings: ‘He belongs to the pulpit, not politics’ – IPOB Lawyer faults Alia’s stance on self-defense

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, legal counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has strongly criticised Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, accusing him of being unfit for political leadership and better suited to the pulpit.

In a statement issued on Friday, Ejiofor reacted to Governor Alia’s recent remarks discouraging citizens from engaging in self-defense amid the escalating security crisis in the state. The activist lawyer described the governor’s stance as deeply troubling and a betrayal of the people’s suffering.

“It is distressing to see a governor, who swore an oath to protect his people, openly discourage them from defending themselves against the relentless and bloody incursions of killer herdsmen,” Ejiofor stated. “Such a pronouncement is not only a dereliction of duty but also a gross betrayal of Benue’s collective agony.”

Ejiofor argued that Governor Alia’s background as a clergyman may have shaped his idealistic approach, but has left him ill-prepared for the harsh demands of governing a state under siege.

“His training may have prepared him for the pulpit, but certainly not for the brutal realities of political leadership. Benue requires a leader rooted in realism, not one guided by pacifist sermons,” he added.

He further called on the Benue State House of Assembly to act decisively, especially if the Federal Government under President Bola Tinubu fails to declare a State of Emergency in Benue.

“If Governor Alia has chosen to speak peace where there is no peace, and turned a blind eye to the cries of his people, then the constitutional duty lies with the Assembly to act. It is time to return him to the pulpi a place where idealism, not responsibility, reigns supreme,” Ejiofor concluded.