Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has admitted that the state’s anti-open grazing law, enacted in 2017, is struggling to achieve its purpose due to the absence of a supporting national legal framework.
The governor, through his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, addressed public concerns raised by the Benue Advocacy Network regarding continued attacks by armed herders despite the existence of the law.
According to Alia, the inability to effectively enforce the legislation stems from the limited capacity of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, who are not legally permitted to carry sophisticated weapons.
“Our Volunteer Guards are only authorised to carry licensed, non-sophisticated firearms, whereas the herders are often protected by well-armed militias wielding AK-47 and AK-49 rifles,” Tersoo explained.
“Even mobile police units have suffered casualties while confronting these groups. So how can we expect our unarmed guards to face such threats and enforce the law?”
Governor Alia emphasized the need for the anti-open grazing policy to be adopted nationally to allow federal security agencies to enforce it across state boundaries.
“It becomes difficult to implement when herders, upon facing resistance in Benue, simply move across the border into Nasarawa State where the law does not exist,” he noted. “Without a federal framework, enforcement remains inconsistent and ineffective.”
His comments come in response to a critical statement by the Benue Advocacy Network titled “Questions Governor Alia Is Yet To Answer,” which was signed by the group’s president, Enoch Ortese. The group accused the governor of failing to restore displaced persons to their ancestral homes, a key campaign promise, and condemned the continued expansion of internally displaced persons camps across the state.
“Rather than resettling IDPs as promised within his first 100 days, Governor Alia’s administration is building more tents and camps,” Ortese said. “There’s also growing concern about the increasing occupation of Benue communities by herders without any firm government action.”
The group also raised red flags about the administration’s financial transparency, alleging that contracts were being awarded without public knowledge and that no major project has been completed since the governor assumed office.
In his defense, Governor Alia maintained that the state’s financial records are open to the public through the Budget Office and highlighted that his administration has cleared six of the seven months of salary arrears inherited from the previous government.
“We are committed to transparency and accountability. Anyone interested can verify our financial activities with the relevant agencies,” he stated.
