Foreign Military Help May Worsen Nigeria’s Crisis – Soyinka Warns

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has cautioned Nigerian leaders against blindly accepting foreign assistance, warning that certain forms of external intervention could worsen the country’s already fragile security situation.

Soyinka issued the warning on Friday while speaking with journalists at the Government House, Makurdi, shortly after a closed-door meeting with Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, during his visit to the state.

The playwright, who commended Governor Alia’s developmental strides, recalled that under the previous administration, Benue became a major hub for terrorists in the North-Central region.

He criticised former President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to halt the killings, noting that he was among the few voices who openly challenged the administration’s policies.

Soyinka said he was in the state to follow up on educational materials he had earlier donated at a time when many displaced children were out of school. He also inspected several ongoing projects under the Alia administration and visited multiple IDP camps.

Responding to recent backlash over his comments on attacks in the state, Governor Alia dismissed claims that he denied the killings, insisting his earlier remarks were misinterpreted and taken out of context.

The governor said discussions about genocide must be tied to the United Nations’ definition and historical context, stressing that many use the term loosely without examining the criteria.

On his earlier comment that attackers were “executing their plans religiously,” the governor said it was an idiomatic expression, meaning consistently and diligently, not in any religious sense.

Alia maintained that the crisis began as farmer-herder clashes before escalating into banditry and terrorism, with victims across faiths and ethnic backgrounds.

“I never denied that my people were killed. I remain very firm that we have bandits and terrorists who come fully organised to destroy, maim and kill,” Alia said.

“I have consistently, yes, religiously stated that their aim is land grabbing. This did not begin as anything religious.”

He warned that framing the killings as religiously motivated was misleading.

The governor urged journalists to avoid amplifying misinterpretations that could worsen tensions.

“You journalists are great minds and great hands. You are not weapons of mass destruction; you are weapons of societal construction.
When something is unclear, one phone call can clarify it instead of confusing the entire society,” he said.

Alia added that the pain of each death weighs heavily on him as governor, noting that years of attacks and displacement have led to the establishment of numerous IDP camps across Benue.

He cautioned against reducing the crisis to a single narrative: “The situation is multi-sectoral. Don’t reduce it to religion. Both Muslims and Christians have been killed.”

On development, the governor disclosed that his administration had awarded several arterial road projects within Makurdi, with full construction set to commence next week after preliminary works were completed.

He commended Soyinka for his visit and for showing genuine concern for the plight of Benue residents.