Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has advised residents not to resort to self-defence in response to ongoing violence in the state, warning that untrained individuals taking up arms could worsen the already fragile security situation.
Speaking on AIT’s Focus Nigeria on Tuesday, Alia emphasised that while self-defence is constitutionally permitted, it is not a practical solution to guerrilla-style attacks.
“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?” the governor asked.
He strongly discouraged citizens from arming themselves out of desperation.
“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,” Alia said.
The governor dismissed the popular saying that “desperate situations require desperate answers,” arguing that emotional reactions without proper preparation are counterproductive.
“You’re unprepared with arms and do not understand the dynamics of confrontations,” he added.
Instead, Alia advocated for the implementation of community policing, highlighting its effectiveness in leveraging local knowledge for better security.
“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,” he said.
Alia credited federal intelligence support for improving the state’s ability to respond to the crisis.
“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.”
He also linked part of the unrest to political infighting within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“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,” Alia said, noting that some disgruntled members have yet to return to the fold.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu has urged APC stakeholders in the state to reconcile and unite for peace and progress.
Governor Alia ended with a firm message: emotional calls for self-defence may sound appealing but are ultimately ineffective.
“We must not allow our frustrations to lead us into chaos. Real security comes through strategy, unity, and trained response—not desperation.”
