As the National Assembly returns from its long break today, the House of Representatives and the Benue State Government disagree on the causes of the state’s recent spate of killings.
While the House’s Deputy Spokesman, Philip Agbese, blamed Governor Hyacinth Alia for what he called his abandonment of the state’s anti-open grazing law for the recent increase in the killings of innocent citizens, the governor fired back, accusing Agbese of knowing next to nothing about how state legislatures suspend laws.
Attacks in Benue State’s Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas have killed 56 people in the last three weeks, prompting Governor Alia to call on the Federal Government to intervene to stem the tide.
Recall On March 27, the two chambers took a break to commemorate Eid-el-Fitr and Easter, and the resume date was set for Tuesday, April 29, 2025. However, the Workers’ Day celebration on May 1 resulted in an additional week of resumption.
While on break, terrorists in a senseless campaign of violence killed innocent Nigerians in Plateau, Benue and Zamfara States, culminating in calls for President Bola Tinubu to cut short his vacation in France to return home to lead the fight against insecurity from the front.
The Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, said the leadership of the House is committed to speaking against all forms of criminality in the country, particularly the killings of defenceless Nigerians and destruction of their property.
He said, “As we resume tomorrow (Tuesday), we are prepared to tackle squarely the issue of insecurity across the country. We are tired of observing one-minute silence in honour of the dead all the time. Like the Speaker, the Right Honourable Tajudeen Abbas always says, the life of every Nigerian is very important to the 10th National Assembly.
“To bring these issues to the attention of the government through urgent public importance is not a question we should be asking ourselves now. We want to see action; we want to see Nigeria secure so that everyone can move freely without fear of being attacked or killed.
“During our sectoral engagement with security chiefs not long ago, they promised action, and we saw a reduction in these attacks. But that was then.
“Things have worsened again, and we cannot continue. We hope to engage them again, and if we are convinced that they don’t have fresh ideas on how to address the challenge of insecurity, we will recommend to Mr President to relieve them of their duties and appoint fresh hands to step in.”
Agbese also applauded the leadership of the House, saying, “Since we came on board in June 2023, Speaker Abbas has continued to prioritise the well-being of Nigerians, and as part of this parliament, we are not prepared to rest yet. Nigerians expect more from us, and we can’t afford to let them down. What we must do as parliamentarians is to speak up when things are not going well.
“Killing Nigerians in their homes, farms or wherever should not be condoned. We are hopeful that as we resume our duty, we will lend our voices to the call for the safety of Nigerians wherever they are and that those tasked with maintaining peace and order, as well as the protection of lives and property, will step up their game and make this country secure for us all.”
Speaking on the incessant killings in Benue State over the past few months, Agbese, who represents the Ado/Ogbadigbo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency of the State, blamed the governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, for his handling of the state anti-grazing law.
He said, “Before his (Gov. Alia) election, there was an anti-open grazing law in place. He completely abandoned that law and was busy claiming that there were no issues in Benue. The governor kept referring to the ECOWAS Protocol, which guarantees free movement of people and goods within the West Africa subregion.
“Truth as that may sound, the ECOWAS Protocol does not make room for reckless human transit without documentation, and this is what some of us pointed out to the governor.
“Before now, when herders came into new settlements, the law required them to give information about themselves to the locals. They were known to the people, but Gov. Alia came and changed everything. At a point, he said there was no problem in Benue. We are happy that he is beginning to realise that this is not the way to go.
Meanwhile, Mr Agbese has requested that Governor Hyacinth Alia and his Zamfara State colleague, Dauda Lawal, come before the House Committee on Public Petitions, as directed by Committee Chairman Mike Etaba last week.
Last week, the committee summoned the two governors and the leadership of their respective Houses of Assembly to appear before it on Thursday, May 8, to explain why their powers should not be taken over by the House of Representatives.
According to the statement, the invitation “was a sequel to a petition written by a civil rights organisation, Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, urging the House to take over the functions of the two Houses of Assembly.”
The Committee stated that its intervention is necessary “to ensure that the rule of law is upheld at all times. The parties have a wonderful opportunity to state their cases clearly so that Nigerians can know what is going on. Anarchy would never be given any space in our polity.”
Recalling that the State Assemblies had denied receiving the House summons, the Benue lawmaker encouraged them to abandon technicalities and attend before the Committee so that Nigerians could hear their side of the story.
“We can’t be hiding under needless technicalities all the time. If Nigerians are aware that there is a summons for the governors and state assemblies to appear before a standing committee based on a petition, we expect the parties involved to appear before the committee.
“The National Assembly has the power to take over the functions of State Assemblies in line with the provision of Section 11 (4) of the Constitution. They should appear and let Nigerians know why that should not happen,” he said.
Speaking on if there will be consequences if they fail to appear, Agbese said, “Let us not discuss that yet. Let’s hope they will appear. Thursday is not today, and I sincerely hope they will be here. There is no reason to think otherwise,” he added.
Meanwhile, Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has instructed Philip Agbese, the deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, to conduct additional research on what democracy means.
Responding to claims by the House Deputy Spokesman that the governor abandoned the state’s anti-open grazing ordinance, resulting in a reckless attack on Benue towns.
The governor, speaking through his technical adviser on communication, media, and publicity, Solomon Iorpev, stated that in a democratic system, there are methods for repealing current legislation.
He said, “I don’t like to respond to those who do not know their right hand from their left hand because it’s only in a military regime that you hear about the suspension of laws without following due process.
“But in a democratic system, you should know that there must be processes to suspend existing laws, and since he (deputy spokesman) does not give evidence to that, it means he doesn’t know anything about democracy.”
Iorpev added that the Alia had, at several fora, reiterated his stance on the full enforcement of the anti-open grazing law in the state.
