The lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor, has blamed the recent insecurity surge ravaging the state on a lack of synergy among the state’s political leaders.
This was as he accused the Governor Hyacinth Alia-led state government of engaging in what he described as ‘bad politics’ in its efforts to address the security situation in the state.
DAILY POST reports that both the lawmaker and the governor are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
The lawmaker stated this on ‘Sunrise Daily’, a programme on Channels Television, on Friday.
“Unfortunately, there has been not very much synergy, not very much engagement between the Benue State government and the members of the National Assembly.
“Since I became a member of the House of Reps, I have never been invited by the governor of Benue to Government House to have any sort of discussion, and my community experiences one of the highest levels of insecurity in the state,”; Ugbor said.
When asked whether he has requested to see the governor, the lawmaker replied, “I have asked to be invited, I have reached out many times, and I have tried to do my best, reaching out to NEMA to provide palliatives.”;
He bemoaned that he and other lawmakers in the state are not being carried along in several stakeholders’ meetings that have been convened by Governor Alia.
“We are not invited (to stakeholders’ engagements). Recently, there was a security committee that was set up in the state to look at the insecurity, and we were not invited. The government of Benue doesn’t think members of the National Assembly have a role to play or are important enough to be invited to the security committee set up to look at the insecurity in Benue,”; he added.
He lamented that over 40 percent of arable land in Benue State has been taken over by armed herdsmen.
DAILY POST reports that there has been a rise in insecurity in Benue State recently, with criminals attacking several communities and killing over 50 persons.
Recent attacks by suspected herdsmen on Ukum and Logo local government areas in the state are some of the most brutal in recent times.
Some of the burnt houses in the fresh Benue attack on April 15, 2025.
Following the attacks, Governor Alia appealed to the Federal Government to step up and deal with rising insecurity in the state.
Addressing journalists after the visit to the affected communities in the two local government areas, Alia condemned the violent attacks on the defenseless people and called for greater action from security agencies to nip these killings in the bud.
