OPINION: Are You the Messiah, or Shall We Look for Another?
By Chukwuebuka Chukwuemeka
When
Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia—robed not only in clerical cassock but also in moral
authority stepped into the political ring to run for governor of Benue State, he
did not arrive as just another politician. He was hailed as a redeemer. A
priest among politicians. A voice of conscience in the storm of corruption,
insecurity, and neglect. For many in Benue, weary from years of violence and
disillusionment, Alia's emergence seemed like a divine intervention.
But
now, barely two years into his administration, a haunting question echoes
across the valleys of Guma, the burnt farmlands of Ukum, and the blood-stained
streets of Makurdi:
“Are you the Messiah, or shall we look for another?”
This
question, borrowed from the lips of John the Baptist in Scripture, captures the
mood of a people betrayed by hope. For the Benue masses, who handed Alia a
broad mandate in 2023 believing that the shepherd’s staff would now bring
security and justice, the escalating waves of herdsmen attacks have shattered
the illusion of deliverance. The supposed anointed has become aloof. The cries
of the bereaved are met with press statements. The silence of the government,
louder than gunfire, has become a source of anguish.
On
June 3, twin attacks in Gwer West and Apa claimed 20+ lives, even as locals suspected
over 30 fatalities. And hidden in plain sight, dozens more have perished in
Gwer‑West, Aondona, Zike, and beyond. At this pace, roughly 50 people per month
are slaughtered with homes torched and fields scarred under Alia’s watch.
Then
on the night of June 13 and early hours of June 14, suspected herdsmen
descended on Yelwata, Guma LGA. At least 100 people were massacred, many burned
alive in their own homes. Dozens are missing, hundreds injured, and entire
villages are razed to the ground. This marks a new all-time low. This was not
the first attack under Alia’s watch, but it may be the most symbolic. Not
simply because of the numbers, but because of what followed.
Instead
of empathizing with the wounded and mobilizing visible, sustained security
operations, the Alia administration chose to flex its might not against the
killers but against the grieving. When peaceful protesters flooded the streets
of Makurdi demanding accountability, justice, and real security, they were met
with tear gas, aerial intimidation, and brute force. Armoured vehicles rolled
out—not to the frontlines of herder incursions, but to Wurukum Roundabout,
where unarmed citizens dared to ask: “Why are we dying in silence?”
It
was a betrayal not just of the people’s trust but of the priestly calling that
brought Alia to power. A man who once stood at the altar to comfort the broken
now presides over a government that punishes the grieving. In a state already
traumatized by years of displacement and death, the image of police choking the
lungs of mourners while the killers roam free is a wound that will not heal
quickly.
The
Alia administration may defend itself with the usual rhetoric: that arrests
have been made, that investigations are underway, that security forces are “on
top of the situation.” But the truth lies in the body bags, in the razed
villages, and in the silence of displaced children whose homes have turned to
ashes. If Fr. Alia still wears a priest’s heart under his governor’s garb, now
is the time to prove it.
Leadership
demands more than press releases and emergency task forces. It demands
presence. It demands moral courage. It demands that the weight of the people’s
suffering becomes the burden of their leader. And it demands a sober
self-assessment: Am I still the hope they voted for, or have I become the
disappointment they must endure?
Benue
does not need another politician. It needs a servant-leader, rooted in truth,
acting in courage, and unafraid to confront evil wherever it hides—even if it
means confronting political backers or acknowledging failure.
Rev.
Fr. Alia once inspired chants of salvation. Today, many whisper disappointment.
Tomorrow, they may look for another.
The
time to rise is now!
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