Benue State Government and stakeholders in the Sankera area of the state on Friday urged 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 a controversial circumstance on Tuesday by soldiers.
Commander of Operation Ayem A. Kpatuma, Major General Ali Gadzama, said Gana was killed in a gun battle with soldiers.
But a community leader said Gana was in a government convoy when he was dragged out of a car by soldiers at a checkpoint in Gbitse in the Gboko Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Samuel Ortom, who addressed journalists after Friday’s expanded State Security Council meeting involving stakeholders, said the consensus reached at the meeting was not to join issues with the military.
Ortom said the people of Sankera have resolved to put Gana’s death behind them.
He, however, appealed to military authorities to release other arrested repentant militiamen who had embraced its amnesty programme, noting that his administration would rehabilitate them.
Ortom said, “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.”