Deputy Governor of Benue state, Engineer Benson Abounu has said the heinous killing of ten (10) members of the Civilian joint Task Force CJTF in Katsina-Ala local government area by unknown gunmen has thrown the state into a mourning mood.
Abounu who made the declaration yesterday while chatting with journalists maintained that the government is totally worried by the increasing attacks and killing of innocent people of the State.
He condemned the heinous killing of innocent citizens across the state vowing that Governor Samuel Ortom’s led administration will not to rest on its oars to protect lives and property of the people.
According to him, government would continue to sustained collaboration with relevant security agencies to ensure that the people sleep with their eyes closed, adding that both police and military personnel have been drafted to Katsina-Ala axis to comb the area to ensure that those behind the attacks are brought to book.
“You can see that this last Sunday killing is a coordinated one, it’s not a rampant one. The first time they came and killed eleven people, and this time around ten were killed and in the same manner. It’s something that is targeted and it is calculated”.
“We are indeed worried. I have been meeting with the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Services, DSS, strategising and we have already deployed security operatives to go and comb the entire area and fish out of culprits, so we are not resting on our oars at all”.
He described the incidence as unfortunate and something that should never happen, noting that these people (JTF) were not armed as they were holding a meeting and two boys came on a motorcycle and opened fire and killed ten of them.
Engineer Abounu however dispelled widespread reports that the Sole Administrator of Agatu local government area, Mr. Mike Inalegwu has collected huge sums of money from Fulani herdsmen to allow them penetrate the area with cattle for grazing.
According to him, the council’s administrator did not unilaterally engage in sign any agreement with the herdsmen, maintaining that as a government that is after peace and peaceful coexistence, the decision was taken as an interim arrangement for peace to reign between the two sides under an atmosphere devoid of rancour and acrimony.
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