Nasarawa State Government has refuted the allegation of harbouring attackers of Benue communities as alleged by Mark Gbila, a former Federal lawmaker from Benue.
This is contained a statement by the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Gov Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Comrade Peter Ahemba, on Wednesday in Lafia.
According to him, the former federal lawmaker recently made a malicious and unsubstantiated statement on national television, alleging that bandits who attacked communities in Benue were being harbored in Nasarawa State.
He said Nasarawa State Government, under the leadership of Gov Sule, remained consistent in building synergy with neighbouring states, particularly Benue, to enhance peace and address common security challenges confronting the states and beyond.
Ahemba said Gov Sule, who is also the Chairman of the North-Central Governors Forum, demonstrated the state’s solidarity with the Government and people of Benue over the unfortunate killings.
He also noted that the Nasarawa State governor had championed collaborative efforts with security agencies and other relevant stakeholders to address the security challenges confronting the region.
“The statement read in part,” 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 the 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 Mr Gbilah are, 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.”
Ahemba called on members of the public to disregard the false narratives from the former lawmaker and focus on promoting unity and cooperation among communities.
According to him, the Nasarawa State Government remains committed to maintaining peace and security within the borders and sustaining effective collaboration with neighboring states to address common challenges.
“Just recently, Gov 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 to find ways of tackling security challenges in the region,” he stated.
