The Vice-Chancellor of Mkar University, Gboko, Prof Zacharys Gundu, has criticised Governor Hyacinth Alia over his recent visit to Kwande Local Council of Benue State, saying the governor failed to reach Abande community, where a deadly attack reportedly occurred, thereby missing a crucial opportunity to reassure victims and residents.

Gundu said Alia had promised to visit Kwande following the killing of residents in Abande but did not proceed to the affected community during the visit.

According to him, the governor halted his trip at Anwase, stressing that Anwase is not Abande and questioning why he did not continue to the scene of the attack, where bereaved families were reportedly waiting.

He said the failure to visit Abande, regardless of the reasons, sent the wrong signal to the victims and the wider Benue public.

“If the governor failed to reach Abande where the attack occurred and where the bereaved and affected people were waiting for him, he lost an opportunity to reassure them that their lives as citizens of the state matter and that he is capable of protecting them,” Gundu said.

The university don added that the visit would also have reassured the people of Benue that Abande, despite being remote, remains an integral part of the state and cannot be neglected or treated as expendable.

“Abande, even though it is so much out of the way, is part of Benue. No inch of Abande can be ceded,” he said, warning against any impression that insecurity or other interests could lead to the abandonment of the community.

Gundu raised concerns about the message the governor’s action may have sent to residents of vulnerable areas, asking whether fear influenced the decision not to proceed to Abande.

“If he was afraid to go to Abande, is he telling those citizens living there that they are on their own?” he asked.

He further noted that the governor’s failure to mention illicit mining activities in Kwande during the visit was revealing, given that such activities are central to understanding the insecurity affecting the area.