The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia to resign, accusing his administration of repeated failures to protect lives in the state. The demand, reported by Vanguard on Saturday, September 12, follows a deadly attack on the Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area (LGA) that left 11 people dead, including four mobile police officers.
Deadly Attack on Ayilamo Community
Armed attackers invaded Ayilamo in Tombo Ward, Logo LGA, between the night of Thursday, September 10, and the early hours of Friday, September 11. The assault resulted in the deaths of seven civilians and four mobile police officers. The slain officers were identified as ASP Paul Ina and Inspectors Mohammed Yusuf, Oge Ikechukwu, and Edeh Andrew.
HURIWA's national coordinator, Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, issued the resignation call in a statement following the attack. The group stated: "Governor Alia cannot continue to govern as if the persistent bloodshed in Benue is a normal security challenge." The association urged the governor to "accept responsibility for his administration's security failures and resign if he can no longer guarantee the protection of the people entrusted to his government."
Scale of Violence in Benue State
The rights group cited figures attributed to Amnesty International showing that at least 6,896 people were killed in Benue between May 29, 2023, and May 2025. All 23 local government areas in the state have suffered attacks, with more than 200 villages sacked and over 500,000 people displaced across Benue.
HURIWA also recalled the June 2025 attack on Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area, in which more than 100 people were reportedly killed and thousands forced to flee their homes. The association noted that Catholic leaders and other stakeholders in Benue had already raised these concerns with United States lawmakers, arguing that such international attention should have pushed both the Federal and state governments to take stronger, more coordinated action.
HURIWA Demands Action Beyond the Governor
Beyond the governor, HURIWA directed demands at President Bola Tinubu, urging him to reinforce security operations in Benue and ensure better protection for communities that remain exposed to attack. The group also called on security agencies to investigate the Ayilamo killings thoroughly, arrest the perpetrators, and prosecute both them and their alleged sponsors.
HURIWA warned against what it described as attempts by political authorities to downplay the severity of attacks on rural communities, saying Nigeria must not normalise "terrorism, mass killings or the systematic displacement of rural communities." The association stressed that Nigerians had every right to demand accountability from elected officials whose core duty was the protection of lives and property.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation, called on citizens to push back against any narrative that frames the country's ongoing security crisis as a conflict rooted in religion. Idris also highlighted recent security gains, citing the elimination of hundreds of terrorists and bandits, as well as the rescue of abducted citizens across different parts of the country, as evidence of the Federal Government's resolve.
