GOV ALIA RECRUITS SOCIAL MEDIA THUGS TO ATTACK OPPONENTS
The Network for Transparent Governance (NTG) strongly condemns the action of Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia in recruiting a group of social media thugs tasked with insulting, harassing, and silencing critics as well as political opponents.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula did the hatchet job of recruiting the social media team who have been given smartphones loaded with data to insult anyone who criticizes the governor over his poor performance in office and lack of transparency and accountability. The youths have been selected from the 23 local government areas of the state.
This move by Governor Alia is a dangerous attempt at the suppression of free expression to silence critics of the governor’s poor performance, particularly cases of monumental corruption under him and brazen embezzlement of government resources.
The only job description of the government-funded group of “social media fighters” is to intimidate opponents, stifle dissent, and chill legitimate political discourse.
Alia, a supposed priest who abandoned the pulpit and adorned partisan regalia, has endorsed the harassment and intimidation of opponents by providing smartphones and data to the coordinated group of attack dogs.
Alia has employed a crude strategy of harassment as a tool of governance, creating a hostile environment for journalists, activists, and ordinary people of the state. The governor doesn’t want anyone to hold an alternative view.
Since Alia came to power, there has been an erosion of accountability and transparency. He has never given his account of stewardship regarding what he is doing with the volume of resources at his disposal following subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu.
We condemn Governor Alia’s use of Benue State resources to arm jobless youths with handhelds for vituperation and smear campaigns against his perceived opponents. Opposition voices are essential to a healthy democracy and policy improvement, whether critical or constructive. The risk to social cohesion and safety is also real, as coordinated online harassment can spill over into real-world tensions and disproportionately impact vulnerable groups who rely on social media to raise awareness.
We caution Governor Alia to refrain from the abuse of public office and resources by waging a personal political vendetta against his opponents. He should stop deploying government-backed e-thugs to attack critics in addition to the violent group of armed thugs he has recruited who go by the slogan “No Alia, No Benue.”
Governor Alia should immediately disband the so-called social media team and halt the use of public resources for harassing critics. He should provide a transparent platform for constructive engagement and learn to inform the public on how he is spending their resources. That is what is expected of him.
Comrade Oliver Omenka
Secretary General
Network for Transparent Governance (NTG)
