Mr. Terrence Kuanum, special adviser to George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has challenged Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia to submit names of alleged sponsors of insecurity to President Bola Tinubu.

The challenge comes after Governor Alia accused Akume and "his cronies" of remaining silent on the growing insecurity in Benue State during an interview on Channels Television on Friday.

Alia claimed that an interim report from a judicial panel he established had implicated politicians based in Abuja and within the National Assembly in orchestrating attacks in the state. While refraining from naming those indicted, the governor promised the report would be made public by next week.

Akume's Aide Responds to Allegations

In a statement released on Saturday, Kuanum countered that Akume has been actively engaged in addressing security concerns in Benue and ensures that such matters are consistently brought to President Tinubu's attention.

"If the Governor of Benue State has expected that the SGF would be seen in the media discussing the efforts he has been making in that regard, then it betrays either a lack of understanding of governmental administrative procedure, or he is deliberately and unfortunately seeking to manipulate public sentiments against the SGF," the statement reads.

Kuanum argued that the governor either misunderstands the workings of government or is attempting to manipulate public opinion by demanding that Akume publicly address the media on the state's security situation.

His Excellency the Governor of Benue State must understand that his allegations and preemptive indictment of the persons so fingered now carry the weight of national security concern and must be treated as such.

Call for Official Submission of Names

The SGF's aide called on Alia to submit the names of those implicated in the report to both President Tinubu and the federal security council.

"He should forward to His Excellency the President and to the Federal Security Council the names of those so indicted and their roles in sponsoring, aiding and abetting insecurity in Benue State as he claimed, and should also bring it publicly to the attention of the whole world who those enemies of Benue State are," Kuanum stated.

Kuanum also highlighted that Benue lawmakers in the National Assembly, including Senators Titus Zam and Emmanuel Udende, have been consistently vocal about the security challenges facing the state, resulting in motions that have garnered attention and action from the Federal Executive Council.

Administrative Procedures for Panel Reports

The statement further noted that by administrative procedure, such reports typically undergo stages of vetting and gazetting into a White Paper before their content may be deemed as a credible and official position of Government.

"But since His Excellency the Governor has chosen, perhaps as a result of how burning the issue is, to let the cat out of the bag before the administrative procedure, we urge him to make good on his word and expose those involved in the crime of aiding and abetting insecurity in his state," Kuanum added.

The exchange highlights growing tensions between the Benue State government and federal officials over approaches to addressing the state's persistent security challenges.

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