The Benue State Government and stakeholders in the Sankera area of the state on Friday asked military authorities to release the 35 repentant militiamen arrested alongside Terwase Akwaza, aka, Gana.
Gana, a notorious criminal who embraced the state government’s amnesty programme, was killed in controversial circumstance on Tuesday by soldiers.
Addressing journalists on Friday after the expanded State Security Council meeting involving stakeholders, Governor Samuel Ortom said the consensus reached at the meeting was not to join issues with the military.
Ortom said the people of the Sankera have resolved to put behind them the death of Gana.
The governor appealed to military authorities to release other arrested repentant militiamen who had embraced its amnesty programme, noting that his administration would rehabilitate them.
According to Ortom: “The expanded State Security Council met today (Friday) with Sankera stakeholders and resolved not to join issues with the military concerning what has happened but to accept it as an act of God.
“Whatever has happened, we have to move forward.
“We cannot bring back the dead, though we are pained and we are waiting for more clarification on the killing.
“We also resolved that the military should release the arrested repentant militias so that they can continue with the amnesty programme.”
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