The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume has called on all sons and daughters of Benue State to forge a path toward lasting peace and security.
Akume, who was the first governor of the state in the current Republic serving from 1999 to 2007, described the repeated killings in the state as ‘both disheartening and utterly condemnable’.
In a statement on Monday, he said that the continued bloodletting and mindless killings across the state, which he described as ‘one among too many’, are not only reprehensible and tragic for the state, but represent ‘deep wound to the soul of our nation. These dastardly acts are not restricted to Benue State alone. Plateau and Zamfara States also suffer the same fate. These killings are economic deterministic, not religious driven’.
His full statement:
‘The innocent lives lost — men, women, and children — will not be forgotten. We mourn them not as strangers, but as brothers and sisters, bound together by a shared humanity and a common destiny.
‘Beyond mourning, I call on all sons and daughters of Benue, our leaders, traditional institutions, and key stakeholders to come together now — urgently — to forge a path toward lasting peace and security. We must rise above division and act decisively to protect our people and preserve our future.
‘I express profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for his swift directive for a full security operation to rid Benue of these killers and bring the perpetrators to justice. It is to be noted also, that the federal government has rendered assistance through NEMA (National Emergency Management Agency), while more troops have been deployed to Benue state to handle the explosive situation.
‘For my part, as a son of the soil and a key stakeholder, I will not relent in consulting, mobilizing, and coordinating all necessary efforts to find and implement a durable solution, as I am doing the same for all the other affected states.
‘As believers, Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, we believe in the sanctity of human lives. Any single life lost offends the sensibility of God Almighty. All of us must live as brothers and sisters in peace and harmony.
‘I extend our deepest condolences to the grieving families and the resilient people of Benue. In this dark hour, we stand with you. And we will not rest until justice speaks, – loudly, clearly, and without delay.
‘May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace, and may peace return to the land of Benue’.
