The Benue State Government, on Wednesday, said no fewer than 25 people were killed between last Friday and Monday in a supremacy battle between rival bandit groups.
According to The PUNCH, the Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, disclosed this in Makurdi while speaking on security challenges in Sankera area, particularly the Ukum Local Government Area of the state.
He said the government is making efforts to win the confidence of bandits so they could come out of the forests and embrace peace.
Har, who expressed deep concern about the rise in insecurity in the Ukum LGA, said the killing of a bandit kingpin, Terwase Akwaza, aka Gana, by the military in September 2020 had worsened the situation.
Har said, “What we are doing now is to build back the confidence in these guys (bandits). We are asking them to come out. We are talking to them; we are engaging them. We have told them that what they are doing is destroying their community; it’s destroying our economy, it’s making the society look ugly and it’s giving the state a bad image.
“So, we are going to build back the confidence in them, using the traditional institutions. In a very short while, you will see results.
“We are talking to the bandits and asking them to calm down. I will refer you to the ‘Gana’ (Terwase Akwaza) era which was erroneously done.
“So, these bandits are having doubts but we have a governor who is sincere and honest and willing to extend hands of fellowship to everyone.
“The fact that things were done wrongly yesterday (before now), does not mean that things will be continually done wrongly. We are telling them to trust this government as well as security agencies, who are committed to a peaceful non-kinetic approach.”
