Governor Alia disclosed this during an interview on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme aired on Monday.
According to the governor, President Tinubu convened the meeting out of concern for the deteriorating security situation in Benue and to ensure unity among key stakeholders working for peace.
“President Tinubu is not wrong to ask us to find common ground for peace,” Alia said. “He invited the SGF and me because of what he was hearing from the public. He wanted to know if there was any issue between us.”
He emphasized that there is no rift between him and Akume, a former governor of the state.
“The SGF himself confirmed that there areno differences between us. And if there were any before, going forward, there will be no problems at all. Our traditional rulers can now sleep peacefully,” Alia added.
The governor also attributed the ongoing attacks to external actors, noting that the violence is being driven by forces beyond the state’s control.
“We have a complex situation that is being sponsored and controlled from outside. While we can manage local government issues internally, the bigger challenge lies in dealing with armed outsiders using AK-47 and AK-49 rifles,” he said.
Alia dismissed suggestions that the Federal Government has abandoned the state, stressing that the presidency has been supportive.
“If President Tinubu didn’t understand the situation, he wouldn’t be giving us full support. Of the 23 local governments in Benue, 17 were once under siege. We’ve now reduced that to just three. That’s a result of the Federal Government’s backing,” he stated.
