The Vice-Chancellor of Mkar University, Gboko, Professor Zacharys Anger Gundu, has said Governor Hyacinth Alia’s recent visit to Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State failed to meet public expectation because the governor did not visit Abande community, where a deadly attack reportedly claimed several lives.
Gundu said the governor’s decision to stop at Anwase, rather than proceed to Abande, stripped the visit of its moral force and denied grieving families the reassurance they were expecting from the state government.
According to him, Governor Alia had earlier promised to visit Kwande in the aftermath of the Abande killings, raising hopes among residents that the governor would personally assess the situation and stand with victims at the scene of the tragedy.
“But Anwase is not Abande,” Gundu said, stressing that the symbolism of leadership is often defined by presence, especially in moments of communal trauma.
He argued that a visit to Abande would have sent a powerful message that the lives of those affected matter and that the state has not abandoned communities at the margins.
“If the governor failed to reach Abande, where the attack occurred and where bereaved families were waiting, then he lost a critical opportunity to reassure them that they are protected and valued as citizens of Benue,” the university don said.
Gundu warned that such omissions could deepen feelings of neglect among residents of remote communities, noting that distance or insecurity should not determine who receives empathy and protection from the government.
“Abande, no matter how far it is, remains part of Benue. No inch of it should be treated as expendable or quietly ignored,” he said.
He further questioned the signal the aborted visit may have sent to vulnerable communities across the state, asking whether fear or other considerations influenced the governor’s decision not to proceed to Abande.
“If the governor could not go there, what message does that send to those living in Abande? That they are on their own?” he asked.
Beyond the missed visit, Gundu expressed concern that the governor reportedly made no reference to illicit mining activities during the Kwande trip, despite their central role in the insecurity plaguing the area.
He explained that illegal mining, particularly around the Turan axis, has become deeply entangled with violence, criminality and displacement, as armed groups and criminal networks compete for control of mineral-rich territories.
According to him, the situation is compounded by the alleged complicity of political and economic elites, some of whom he accused of benefitting from what he described as “illicit blood minerals” extracted at the expense of local communities.
Describing Kwande as “the land of gold and the sacred land of the Tiv,” Gundu warned that allowing violence and exploitation to continue unchecked could have lasting social and historical consequences.
He recalled previous killings in Kwande and lamented what he described as official denial in the past, noting that denial not only delays justice but also deepens the wounds of affected communities.
Gundu also criticised traditional rulers, elected officials and political appointees from Kwande who may have accompanied the governor but allegedly failed to insist that Abande be included in the visit.
“If anyone from Kwande was there and did not urge the governor to go to Abande to see things for himself, that person failed the people,” he said.
He urged traditional institutions and public office holders to place the protection of lives above all other considerations and warned those benefitting from solid mineral exploitation in Kwande that economic interests must never outweigh human lives.
“Abande lives matter. Kwande lives matter. Benue lives matter,” Gundu said, urging the governor to back words with decisive action.
“It is not too late,” he added. “History beckons.”
