Killer herdsmen: “Be proactive not reactive”, Catholic priest mocks Benue Gov, Alia

A Nigerian Catholic missionary priest working in The Gambia, Rev Fr Kelvin Ugwu, has demanded from Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, plans to intercept killer herdsmen who have laid siege to the state.

The priest advised Alia that rather rushing to the press to reel out figures killed he should be proactive to halt the killers from entering Benue.

Priest Ugwu said in the same manner he stopped the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, from entering the state, he should use the same bravado to stop the killer herdsmen.

The priest who gave Alia the challenge in a post on his Facebook page on Wednesday, said it is not a great thing that the governor would always come to social media to announce the number of people that have been butchered by the suspected herdsmen without offering a workable solution to stop their murderous acts.

Ugwu who was reacting to Alia’s marching orders to security operatives to go after the suspected armed herders after they invaded two communities in Gwer West and Apa councils of the state on Sunday where over 43 people were killed, said Benue people voted for the governor believing that he would be different because he is a priest, but are now regretting voting for him.

“Dear governor, Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, one of the primary reasons that made people vote you is because you are a priest, (though suspended),” Ugwu wrote.

“They believe you will be different. It is for them I speak. It is not a great thing that you come to Facebook every Eke market day to announce to us the number of people that have been butchered.

“Announce rather those you have apprehended. Be proactive and not reactive. In the same way you intercepted Obi’s entrance to Benue, you can also do the same to these people killing your people. That is if you want to.

“Who are the k!llers in Benue? On the 18th of April, the governor recognised that 20 people were killed in Benue, in one night.

“Yesterday, the 2nd of June, the governor acknowledged again that 23 persons had been k!lled.
We know the numbers are more than that. But let us just go with the numbers he gave. It means that between the 18th and 2nd of June 2025, which is just 46 days, 43 persons have been butchered.

“Yet, to this date, all they want us to believe is that they don’t know who the killers are. In the first incident, the governor said they were suspected herdsmen. In the second incident, he said it was a brutal and unprovoked attack. By who? We don’t know.

“As I said earlier, as long as we keep pretending that we don’t know these people, there will be no end to it. By next month, you may have another. It is genocide that is going on, but it seems even the Benue people are just sitting and watching.

“As Goodluck Jonathan rightly said, it is easier to wake a sleeping person than to wake the person pretending to be sleeping.”