Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has stated that the armed Fulani herders responsible for the recent attacks in the state are not Nigerians but Malians. Alia made the claim while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
Alia said the Hausa and Fulani these armed herders speak are distinct from what is obtainable in Nigeria.
Benue State has experienced series of attacks from armed herders which has led to the death of several people.
These armed herders had attacked local government areas like Otukpo, Ado, Logo, and others.
However, the governor said these attackers who wield AK-47s don’t look like the indigenous Fulanis in Nigeria.
According to Alia: “We know Nigerians—by our ethnicities, we can identify a Fulani man, a Yoruba man, a Hausa man—we know them.
“Even the regular traditional herders, we know them. They work with cows, herding them with sticks.
“But these folks, the attackers, are coming in fully armed with AK-47s and 49s. They do not bear the Nigerian look. They don’t speak like we do. Even the Hausa they speak is one sort of Hausa.
“It’s not the normal Hausa we Nigerians speak. So it is with the Fulani they speak. There is a trend in the language they speak, and some of our people who understand what they speak give it names.
“They say they are Malians and different from our people. But they are not Nigerians—believe it.”