Nasarawa Doesn’t Harbour Bandits Attacking Benue Communities, Says Gov’s Aide

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia 

The Nasarawa State government has denied claims that it harbours bandits that attack communities in Benue State.

A former member of the House of Representatives from Benue State, Hon. Mark Gbilah, had alleged that bandits that attack Benue State communities were being harboured in Nasarawa State. 

He made the allegation when he featured on a national television recently.

The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Public Affairs to the Nasarawa State Governor, Peter Ahemba, in a statement in Lafia Thursday, said the allegation has no iota of truth.

Ahemba further described the allegation as malicious and misleading, stating that Governor Abdullahi Sule, who is incidentally the Chairman of North-central Governor’s Forum and working for the peace in the region, could turn around to allow criminals find a hiding place in his state.

He said that the allegations by the former lawmaker, Gbilah, was to tarnish the good image of the state and to disrupt the inter-state relationship between Nasarawa and Benue States.

The SSA said that the public outing became necessarily in order to set the record straight and not to allow unsuspecting members of the public to be misled by the falsehood.

Ahemba urged the people.of the state to disregard the false narrative and focus on promoting peace and cooperation among communities between the two states.

The statement read in part: “The attention of the Nasarawa State Government has been drawn to misleading claims by one Hon. Mark Gbilah, former member of the House of Representatives from Benue State.

“The former lawmaker, while featuring on a national television discussion programme recently, made several malicious statements, alleging that bandits attacking communities in Benue State were being harboured in Nasarawa State.

“Ordinarily we wouldn’t have bothered responding to the unsubstantiated allegations as they have no iota of truth, it has however become necessary to clear the air and set the records straight for the sake of unsuspecting members of the public, who may be misled by this false narrative. 

“It is on record that the Nasarawa State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule has remained consistent in building synergy with neighbouring states, particularly Benue, to enhance peace and address common security challenges confronting the states and beyond.”

According to the statement, “The Governor of Nasarawa State and Chairman of the North-central Governors Forum, Abdullahi Sule, has not only demonstrated the state’s solidarity with the government and people of Benue State over the unfortunate killings but has also been leading collaborative efforts with security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to address the security challenges confronting the region. 

“Just recently, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, concerned by the rising wave of insecurity in the region, convened a meeting of the North-central Governors Forum with all the governors of the region, including the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, in attendance. The governor also participated in other top-level security meetings with his colleagues, all with a view to find ways of tackling security challenges in the region.  

“With this demonstrated solidarity for the people of Benue and other neighbouring states being confronted with security challenges in the region and the concerted efforts by Governor Sule towards addressing same, how could Nasarawa State under his headship be harbouring bandits to attack Benue or any neighbouring state as the former lawmaker wants members of the public to believe?

“The allegations by Hon. Gbilah is therefore a malicious attempt to tarnish the image of the state and disrupt the inter-state relationship between Nasarawa and Benue States. As a former National Assembly member, Hon. Gbilah is advised to see himself as a stakeholder in the peace and security project and desist from fanning the embers of discord capable of igniting tension between the two states.

“We call on members of the public to disregard the false narratives from the former lawmaker and instead focus on promoting unity and cooperation among communities. 

“We wish to use this medium to reiterate our heart-felt condolences to the Government and people of Benue and other neighbouring states over the unfortunate attacks and killing of innocent citizens in the states. The Nasarawa State Government remains committed to maintaining peace and security within the borders and sustaining effective collaboration with neighbouring states to address common challenges.”