THE 2025 TIV DAY celebration intended to foster cultural unity amongst Tiv people worldwide last weekend devolved into an explosive political crisis with Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher levelling grave allegations against the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
Prof. Hagher, a former Senator and ex-Ambassador, directly accused Governor Alia of orchestrating the humiliation and violence against the high-powered presidential delegation, led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, noting that what transpired constitutes an assault on democratic decorum just as he described it as a “chilling and shocking display of arrogance, lawlessness, and violent intolerance.”
Hagher’s narrative, which is trending on several social media platforms, especially Facebook, said the incident occurred on Saturday, December 13th, 2025, during the Tiv Day celebrations in Gboko.
Hagher stated that the Presidential delegation, which included the Minister of Water Resources, Prof. Joseph Utsev, federal lawmakers, and other senior Tiv elites, arrived via presidential flight and expecting a warm reception, but instead, were met with a conspicuously absent official welcome party at the Makurdi airport.
According to Prof. Hagher, the situation deteriorated upon arrival at the Gboko event ground, where, he alleged, Governor Alia’s supporters formed a “hostile mob” that chanted derisive slogans of “No Alia, No Benue” directly at the SGF, who was present as the personal representative of President Bola Tinubu.
The atmosphere, Hagher claimed, turned “volatile and frightening,” alleging that in a particularly disturbing incident, a member of the governor’s supporters drew a knife and stabbed a youth who was pleading for calm, causing panic and transforming the celebration into a “battlefield.”
He also alleged that further disrespect was shown during the reading of the President’s address, when an aggressive crowd surged towards the stage, drowning out Senator Akume’s voice with “aggressive drumming, hissing, and animalistic howling”, in what he described as a deliberate attempt to silence both the SGF and the Presidency.
“This incident… is a matter of national concern. It signifies a grave insult to the office of the Secretary of the Government of the Federation and the Presidency,” Hagher wrote.
As he placed full responsibility on Governor Alia, accusing him of a “failure of leadership” and of fostering a “troubling tolerance… for political intimidation, mob violence, and abuse of power.”
Hagher said the delegation members were ultimately evacuated from the venue by military personnel.
Hagher alleged being personally pursued by hecklers, forcing him to flee into a parked bus. He stated he was stranded in Makurdi overnight and returned to Abuja by road the following day.
Prof. Hagher, in his narrative, directly addressed Governor Alia, noting that his “unwarranted cruelty” towards the SGF, whom he acknowledged was instrumental to Alia’s political rise, was a mark of “toxic leadership.”
Hagher stated that he bluntly told Governor Alia that “IF THIS DESPERATION, WHICH I HAVE SEEN YOU DISPLAY AGAINST THE BENUE STATE POLITICAL LEADERS AND PEOPLE, IS AIMED AT BECOMING A ONE-TERM GOVERNOR, THEN YOU HAVE JUST ACHIEVED YOUR GOAL AND EARNED THE PASS MARK.” (His emphasis.)
He also appealed to the Tor Tiv, the paramount traditional ruler, to avoid desecrating his revered stool with “political partisanship.”
As of the time of this report, the Benue State Government has not issued an official response to the specific allegations of violence, orchestrated humiliation, and the stabbing incident, even as efforts to speak with Governor Alia’s media office for comment failed.
