- Benue governor says reports of religious genocide and ethnic cleansing are false.
- Alia insists security issues in Benue do not meet UN genocide standards.
- Rebuffs claims of jihadist operations despite rising insecurity nationwide.
- Comments follow U.S. officials pushing for Nigeria to be labeled a Country of Particular Concern.
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, on Wednesday dismissed circulating claims of religious genocide in Benue, countering assertions reportedly pushed by some United States officials advocating for Nigeria’s designation as a Country of Particular Concern.
Speaking at a consultative forum on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons and Forcibly Displaced Persons organised by the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja, Alia said the narratives suggesting ethnic or religious cleansing in the state were inaccurate and exaggerated.
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The governor’s response comes amid increased international scrutiny following rising allegations of religious persecution and targeted attacks on Christians across Nigeria.
These claims intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly threatened possible military action against Nigeria based on allegations of Christian genocide in the country.
“In my state of Benue, we don’t have any religious, any ethnic, any racial, any national or state genocide. We don’t have that,” Alia stated.
He acknowledged the growing insecurity in the state but stressed that the situation does not meet the United Nations’ legal definition of genocide.
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Alia, a Catholic priest turned politician, also dismissed claims that jihadist campaigns were active in Benue or elsewhere in Nigeria despite the known ambitions of Boko Haram and ISWAP to impose extremist ideology across parts of the country.
“We do not have any jihad in Nigeria,” he said. “If there were any, particularly in my state or any part of Nigeria, I would have been the first to speak out.”
His remarks have stirred mixed reactions, with some Nigerians agreeing that the narrative of religious genocide is overstated, while others argue that the government continues to downplay the severity of insecurity nationwide.
