Former chairman of the national human rights commission and renowned human rights activist, Chidi Odinkalu recently reacted after Benue state governor Hyacinth Alia was spotted arriving the country from an undisclosed location. According to the statements which were shared on his official X handle, he drew the governor’s attention to the recent happenings in his state.
The governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia on Saturday July 19th 2025, arrived the country from an official trip to an undisclosed location. He was spotted in company of several entourage at an airport.
Reacting, Chidi Odinkalu, a renowned human rights activist and lawyer in a recent statement which was shared on his official X handle, criticized the governor for embarking on the trip.
According to his statements, his people in Benue state were suffering in liquidation and the governor went away from the country, only to emerge without declaring his whereabouts.
The criticism from the outspoken lawyer underscores the recent calls from different quarters urging the state government to take pragmatic actions in curbing the incessant killings in the state.
This came following the loss of over two hundred innocent lives in Yelwata, a remote community in the state a couple of weeks ago, an attack which prompted widespread condemnation.
These were the words of Chidi Odinkalu which he shared on his official X handle,
“While his people in Benue State have been suffering liquidation, Hyacinth Alia has been AWOL from the country. He has just materialized without disclosing where he went or why” He wrote.
