Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has cautioned residents against resorting to self-defence in the face of rising attacks, warning that untrained individuals confronting armed assailants risk escalating the violence rather than curbing it.
Speaking on Focus Nigeria, a programme aired on African Independent Television (AIT) on Tuesday, the governor emphasised that only structured and strategic measures such as community policing, can effectively address the worsening security situation in the state.
“Let me begin with my concerns. You need to be trained to understand the dynamics of fighting guerrilla warfare. The Constitution permits all of us to defend ourselves, but to what extent?” Alia queried.
While acknowledging the public’s frustration over recurring violence, the governor urged residents not to take up arms impulsively.
“I cautiously advise my citizenry that it is not advisable to simply pick up knives, machetes, and sticks to fight, there are ongoing conversations around community policing; I am one of the governors who projected it,” He added.
Governor Alia also dismissed the popular belief that “desperate situations require desperate answers,” arguing that reactionary self-defence efforts could lead to greater harm if not properly coordinated.
“You’re unprepared with arms and do not understand the dynamics of confrontations,” he said, insisting that a trained and localised approach, such as community policing, remains a more effective solution.
“With community policing, it becomes easier to identify those who understand the terrain and can be mobilised to join the ranks of the community police,” the governor explained.
He added that federal support, particularly in the area of intelligence gathering, is boosting the state’s ability to track down and apprehend perpetrators of violence.
“With the federal government’s continued support now through intelligence finding and searching, I think we are going to do even more. We will identify those people, apprehend them, and create a new narrative for our three local governments and, in fact, the state,” Alia stated.
The governor also linked part of the prevailing insecurity to internal divisions within the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the disunity as a major setback.
“There is another layer to the challenges we have in the state here. The non-cooperation of some so-called major stakeholders, the disunity and disharmony within the ruling APC camp in the state, is quite unfortunate,” he said.
“There are some people who have been disgruntled and are yet to get back into the fold.”
Alia disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has advised leaders of the APC in Benue to reconcile their differences in the interest of peace and development.
He reiterated his firm opposition to self-defence as a solution to the security crisis, describing it as an emotional response that lacks the structure and effectiveness needed to combat sophisticated threats.
“Self-defence is not the way out. We need a professional, community-based approach that combines local knowledge with federal intelligence. That is the path to lasting peace,” he said.