Governor Hyacinth Alia inaugurates the Benue Peace Implementation Committee to monitor and enforce peace agreements in Agatu, Konshisha, and Oju, alongside the new Natural Resource Sharing Agreement.
Makurdi, Benue State — September 22, 2026
Governor Hyacinth Alia has inaugurated the Benue Peace Implementation Committee (BPIC), a three-year body tasked with ensuring that peace agreements signed to resolve conflicts across the state are actually translated into lasting peace and development, rather than remaining paper commitments.
Represented at the Makurdi ceremony by Deputy Governor Dr. Sam Ode, Alia described the committee's establishment as a critical step from signing agreements to practical implementation. He commended the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) for its sustained partnership with the state, specifically citing peace agreements already reached in Agatu, Konshisha, and Oju LGAs, alongside the recently signed Benue Natural Resource Sharing Agreement.
The committee, whose tenure runs from September 22, 2026, draws members from traditional rulers, community leaders, and other stakeholders. Alia identified five priorities to guide its work: institutional coordination, monitoring and reporting, inclusivity and community ownership, early warning and response, and long-term sustainability.
He stressed that his administration's approach to conflict management would focus not only on responding to violence but on preventing it through dialogue, early-warning mechanisms, and addressing underlying grievances.
Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Deborah Aber, urged committee members to uphold the agreements reached and deepen engagement with women and young people, describing their inclusion as critical to sustaining peace.
HD Country Director Dr. Chris Agoha said the committee comprises individuals of "impeccable character" committed to ending communal clashes, while representatives of the Tor Tiv and Och'Idoma acknowledged HD's peacebuilding role in Benue since 2017.
The committee's launch lands at a strikingly difficult moment for Benue's security landscape, coming just weeks after the Ayilamo attacks in Logo LGA killed six police officers and eleven civilians in total, and amid ongoing violence in Ukum and Katsina-Ala LGAs that has displaced thousands.
Alia stressed that peace remains essential to agriculture, investment, infrastructure, education, and healthcare, an argument that positions this institutional, long-term peacebuilding effort as a necessary complement to, rather than a substitute for, the state's more immediate security operations.
More on Benue