By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
Worried by the activities of some perpetrators of crisis in Benue State, the Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has said the perpetrators would be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others.
Governor Alia who stated this in a statement expressed shock that despite his directives that all political gatherings be put on hold because of the volatile security situation in the state, government received intelligence reports that the suspended Chairman of All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Benue State Austin Agada and his co- travellers chose to ignore the order.
Governor Alia expressed worry over the attitude of some citizens of the state who were bent on derailing the relative peace gradually returning to the state.
He also noted with disappointment the unprecedented influx of armed herders alleged to have been brought into the state by what he described as enemies of the state, who were out to destabilize the government.
The Governor’s spokesman,Tersoo Kula, in a release to journalists over the weekend also alleged that Agada and Mathias Byuan, the newly appointed Executive Director Finance and Accounts at the Federal Housing Authority Abuja, had hired armed men into the state to shatter the relative peace.
According to the release, the armed men, who accompanied the suspended APC Chairman and Mathias Byuan reportedly made their way into the heart of the town in a convoy and started shooting sporadically when they got to Tito Gate located along Kashim Ibrahim road Makurdi.
The Governor as revealed by the statement said: “the duo led armed men round parts of the Old GRA and were headed to property no. 75,JS Tarka Way said to be owned by the secretary to the government of the federation, SGF, senator George Akume”.
Alia who pointed out that when the personnel of the police arrived and began to engage the hoodlums they disappeared, explained that the security atmosphere in Benue at the moment was only gradually returning to calm after it was charged recently following unprecedented influx of armed herders in the state.
He emphasized that banning of all political and social gatherings till further notice on account of insecurity volatility with the order enjoying police approval which he noted was the reason the police called organisers of the meeting to order, warned citizens against taking laws into their own hands.
While urging the Benue people to be security conscious and immediately report activities of those described as fifth columnist to law enforcement agents, Governor Alia also insisted that the police should arrest those merchants of crisis and bring them to book to serve as deterrent to others.
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