Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, has vowed that the state will no longer grant amnesty or negotiate with criminals in a bid to curb insecurity in the state.
Governor Ortom said this at the funeral of Terkura Suswam, brother to a former governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam, on Saturday.
Terkura, the elder brother to ex-governor Suswam, was killed alongside his aide at his hometown in Anyiin Local Government Area of the state on 2 March.
According to Governor Ortom, the state will no longer offer amnesty to criminals, except they repent and beg for forgiveness.
He vowed that the killers of the late Suswam would be arrested and brought to justice.
“There is no more amnesty, no more negotiation with them (criminals), except they come back like the prodigal son and plead for forgiveness,’’ he said.
The governor stated that the state will flush out criminals, noting that investors may be scared from investing in the state if the issue of insecurity is not properly addressed.
He said: “You can see in Anyiin alone, we have Ashi Polytechnic, Ashi international market, microfinance bank and a rice mill. These are the things that we are using to woo investors to come and do business in the state, because government does not have the resources to do it alone.
“The late Suswam saw it, but unfortunately, he met his death right here in Anyiin, struggling to work and add value to the economic development of the community.
“From intelligence reports, some members of the community are supporting these criminals, which makes it difficult for security men.
“I want to assure youths in the state, not only in Sankera, that we are going to go after these criminals and by the grace of God, we will get them.’’
Governor Ortom also appealed to residents to support the government and security agencies to able to restore peace in the troubled local government areas of the state.
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