Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, issued a strong denial on Wednesday, the 19th of November, 2025, dismissing claims of religious genocide in the state.
The Governor’s statement directly countered assertions reportedly made by some United States officials who are advocating for Nigeria to be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) regarding religious freedom.
The Governor made his remarks while speaking at a consultative forum focused on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), an event organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja.
Governor Alia stated that reports suggesting religious or ethnic cleansing in Benue were inaccurate. His comments come at a time of increased international scrutiny of Nigeria, particularly due to allegations of religious persecution and targeted attacks on Christians within the country.
This context includes a previous threat by US President Donald Donald, who reportedly suggested possible military action against Nigeria following allegations of Christian genocide.
Addressing the forum directly, Governor Alia sought to clarify the nature of the crisis in his state.
“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,”
While acknowledging the reality of security challenges confronting Benue, he firmly maintained that these issues do not meet the United Nations’ definition of genocide.
READ ALSO: Gov Alia Urges Nigerians to Rekindle Patriotism, Faith for National Unity
Governor Alia, who is a Catholic priest by training, also specifically rejected claims that jihadist campaigns were underway in any part of Nigeria.
This is despite the well-documented ambitions of groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to impose an extremist interpretation of Islamic rule.
Reiterating his dismissal of the claims, he concluded:
“We do not have any jihad in Nigeria,”
The Governor added a personal assurance to his statement, emphasizing his moral commitment: “If there were any, particularly in my state or any part of Nigeria, I would have been the first to speak out.”