Alia rejects SAN's emergency rule call in Benue
Governor Hyacinth Alia has rejected the call by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sabastine Hon, for emergency rule in Benue State over worsening insecurity.
He said the SAN’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu amounted to playing local politics with serious issues of insecurity.
The governor, through his spokesman Sir Kulas Tersoo, described Hon’s call as “hypocrisy and shallowness”.
He said Hon, also a professor of law, contradicted himself and drifted “into laughable reasoning”.
“This is pure hypocrisy and shallowness, to put it pleasantly.
“It was clear that the SAN, unlike his contemporaries in the legal profession who knows so much and champion noble causes on national platforms as the nation’s conscience…, Professor Sabastine has chosen the narrow path of local politics and vicious attention or relevance.
“It is unfortunate that instead of confronting national injustices or upholding constitutional integrity, he has opted to politicise even the bloodshed of his own people obviously for cheap political relevance,” the governor said.
The statement reads in part: “The ‘erudite’ professor acknowledged that the security situation in Benue is worsening.
“But before one could agree with him and also align his logic with his prestigious title, he stumbled upon his own thoughts and accused the Governor of Benue State of being uninterested in achieving peace.
“The notorious fact here is that Gov. Alia has implemented several measures to tackle insecurity in the state with such efforts that reflect a comprehensive approach to addressing the multifaceted nature of insecurity in Benue.
“The governor has consistently advocated for enhanced community policing, encouraging local involvement in security matters to improve trust and cooperation between residents and law enforcement.
“His administration has continued working closely with various security agencies, including the police and military, to strengthen their presence and effectiveness in the state.
“New security outposts have been established in strategic locations to provide quicker responses to incidents and enhance surveillance.
“He has emphasised the importance of intelligence sharing among security agencies and communities to preempt and mitigate threats.
“Alia has shown support for local vigilante groups, providing them with the necessary resources and training to complement the efforts of conventional security in maintaining peace and order.
“Suffice then to ask: is it that Professor Sebastine’s memory failed him for a moment? Did he forget that the very president to whom he addressed his Facebook petition is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces?
“And just when one might excuse that lapse as an error, the professor eagerly informed his readers that he had written a joint letter to the Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Director-General of the State Security Services detailing the failings of military and paramilitary operations in the state.
“Strangely, despite recognising the President as C-in-C, the professor turned around and pinned the blame for federal security failings on the state governor.
“How can a professor be this illogical and funny? Does the governor command the army and federal security outfits?
“The good professor, in a staggering attempt to score political points, clung to an old video from the early phase of recent attacks where the governor referred to the situation then as skirmishes.
“The professor brandished this outdated footage as breaking news. One wonders if he is out of touch with current realities, or simply playing mischief to please his ‘mallams’ in Abuja…”
