Benue Rep Terseer Ugbor Blames Insecurity on "Bad Politics" and Poor Cooperation

 

Terseer Ugbor, who represents the Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency of Benue State in the House of Representatives, says the rising insecurity in Benue is due to a lack of unity among the state’s political leaders.

Ugbor, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), criticized Governor Hyacinth Alia's administration, saying the government is playing "bad politics" instead of tackling the security crisis properly.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, May 9, Ugbor expressed concern over the lack of cooperation between the state government and federal lawmakers from Benue.

He said,

“Unfortunately, there has been not very much synergy, not very much engagements 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 revealed that he had reached out several times to the governor and even contacted the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide support, but got no response.

“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 said.

He also said lawmakers were left out of important meetings on security issues, including a recent committee set up by the governor to tackle insecurity.

“We are not invited (to stakeholder 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,” Ugbor added.

When asked why the governor might be sidelining him and other federal lawmakers, Ugbor pointed to political rivalry.

“It is just politics; it is just bad politics, really. What else can it be? I am giving you a typical example, there was a security committee set up from my local government for the insecurity in my local government and I was not invited.”

Despite his frustrations, Ugbor called for unity and urged leaders to set politics aside for the sake of the people.

“The growing insecurity in Benue State cannot be politicised... We’re ready to work with the governor and every arm of government to bring peace to the state.”

He warned that the situation is affecting the livelihoods of many residents, stating that armed herdsmen have taken control of over 40% of the state’s farmlands. According to him, recent attacks in Ukum and Logo local governments have left more than 50 people dead, increasing fear and instability across Benue.

In response to the deadly attacks, Governor Alia has asked the Federal Government for help. During a visit to the affected communities, he condemned the killings and urged security agencies to act fast.

"We need greater action from the security agencies to nip these killings in the bud,” the governor said.