Onuminya Innocent
The Concerned Apa Youth Forum (CAYF) has berated Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State over the spate of insecurity in the local government and other parts of the state, saying the governor has abandoned the people to their fate.
The group said after a detailed review of events, it was compelled to declare that Benue state has collapsed under the leadership Governor Alia even as the misery index of citizens has hit a new low.
The group in a statement by its leader, Michael Adama, explained that though the insecurity in the state did not start during the administration of Alia but due to his defiance attitude to the challenges, they believe that he has failed.
“It is true that Alia inherited some security challenges upon assuming office as governor, it is also true that the security woes of Benue state further degenerated under his watch as he incompetently failed to address the underlying issues contrary to his campaign promises.
The statement further noted that before now Apa local government has never been attacked but now more than hundreds of thousands have been displaced by marauder herdsmen in the local government.
They explained that since the attack started more than hundreds of people have lost their lives and yet the governor didn’t deem it fit to visit the local government or send representative to assess the level of damage.
The group maintained that the governor recently paid a Sallah homage on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in Lagos and what he is saying is infrastructural development in the state.
“ They expect the governor to intimate the president on security challenges facing the state, in Apa alone more than 30 villages have been sacked by the arsonists. The infrastructures he is talking about is it not when you are alive you talk of using them they,” the group added.
The group disclosed that in 2023 election despite that the son of the soil was fielded as deputy governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), they go ahead to vote for Alia because they believe in his campaign promises as a man of God.
“You know Agatu and Apa are one, Sir John Ngbede was the deputy governorship candidate of PDP in 2023 governorship election, but Governor Alia won in Apa local government.”
The group stressed that apart from visiting the area , there was no response from the state emergency management agency (SEMA) in regards to providing relief materials to the affected persons.
They warned that there is going to be famine and starvation as 60 per cent of the people in the local government are not at home to farm this farming season.
They called on the former Senate President, Senator David Mark, Senator Abba Moro and Ochi’doma Dr John Odogbo to interface with Mr President on the security challenges bedeviling the Idoma nation.
