A coalition of 2027 Benue State governorship aspirants from the Kunav bloc of Vandeikya Local Government Area has declared full support for the proposed United States of America (USA) intervention in the prolonged security crisis in the state, insisting that such assistance does not violate Nigeria’s sovereignty.

Responding to questions at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the coalition argued that Nigeria has historically deployed troops to support peacekeeping operations across Africa and therefore cannot reject assistance when facing its own internal emergency.

Speaking on behalf of the group, one of the aspirants, Mr. Joseph Waya, noted: “Nigeria has intervened in peacekeeping missions in Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Congo. If we have helped other countries at their moments of crisis, why should we reject help when our own situation has clearly overwhelmed existing capacity?

“Sovereignty does not resurrect the dead. Sovereignty does not comfort displaced families. Sovereignty cannot defend communities that are under attack.”

He added that the scale and persistence of violence in Benue and the wider Middle Belt “have shown, beyond any argument, that this problem is beyond local capacity,” stressing that tens of thousands of citizens have been displaced for years while attacks continue unabated.

“For those of us on the frontlines, we know what our people are going through,” he said.

“If America or any other country with the capacity and compassion to help steps forward, we are 100 per cent in support. Countries we once helped—Liberia, Sierra Leone—have recovered. Meanwhile, we are trapped in a cycle of violence that we have battled for nearly 50 years. We cannot pretend. We need help.”

The aspirants—drawn from the APC, PDP, APGA and ADC—also reiterated their condemnation of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s recent assertion that “there is no religious genocide in Benue State,” warning that the denial contradicts overwhelming evidence of prolonged mass killings, displacement and land occupation.

They highlighted that more than 14 Local Government Areas have suffered coordinated attacks for nearly two decades, with farming communities repeatedly targeted, homes destroyed, and IDP camps expanding into long-term settlements.

The coalition cited the 2018 killing of two Catholic priests and parishioners during Mass, the 2025 Yelewata massacre, and multiple attacks recorded this year in Anwule, Jato-Aka, Anwase, Katsina-Ala and other LGAs as proof of systematic violence that meets the policy indicators recognised by the UN, AU and ECOWAS for mass atrocities.

They warned that denial of the nature and scale of the violence has serious implications: weakening security planning, jeopardising federal and international support, and demoralising already devastated communities.

The Tor Tiv, HRM Prof. James Ayatse, has already described these attacks as a ‘genocidal and systematic land-grabbing action.’ When traditional authority, humanitarian data and security records all align, any denial from the state’s chief executive is Indefensible,” the coalition said.

The group Is demanding an immediate retraction of Governor Alia’s remark, a public apology to victims and displaced families, and the establishment of an Atrocities Documentation and Response Framework to properly classify attacks and coordinate security and humanitarian responses.

They also called for transparent reporting and renewed engagement with national and international partners.

Declaring themselves united across party lines, the aspirants—ESV Godwin Ityoachimin (APC), Joseph Waya (APGA), Prof. Terhemba Shija (ADC), Prof. Paul Angya (ADC), Prof. Dennis Ityavyar (PDP) and Rt. Hon. Dominic Ucha (PDP)—emphasised that their position is not political but a moral duty to truth and justice. (The Guardian)