By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, on Wednesday refuted allegations of Christian genocide in his state, responding to claims reportedly made by certain United States officials advocating for Nigeria to be labelled a Country of Particular Concern.
Addressing a consultative forum in Abuja on the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDPs), organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Alia described reports of religious or ethnic cleansing in Benue as misleading and inaccurate.
The governor’s remarks come at a time of heightened international attention over allegations of religious persecution and targeted attacks on Christians within the country.
It is recalled that US President Donald Trump had warned of potential military measures against Nigeria amid claims of a Christian genocide.
“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.
While recognising that security challenges exist in the state, he emphasised that these issues do not align with the United Nations’ criteria for genocide.
A former Catholic priest who later entered politics, Alia also dismissed suggestions of jihadist activity occurring anywhere in Nigeria, despite the ambitions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to enforce Islamic rule based on extremist interpretations of the Quran.
“We do not have any jihad in Nigeria,” he said, adding, “If there were any, particularly in my state or any part of Nigeria, I would have been the first to speak out.”