From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that the killing of his Principal Special Assistant on Knowledge Economy and Investment, Dr. Tavershima Adyorough, would not distract him, even as he vowed that the killers must be apprehended and prosecuted no matter how long it would take.
Similarly, a non-governmental organisation, Next Generation Youth Initiative (NeGYII), yesterday condemned the killing of Adyorough and urged Nigerians to stand against violence and insecurity.
Ortom, who stated this when he visited the wife of the slain aide, Mrs. Mrumun Adyorough, at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, where she is currently recuperating, said the murder of his aide last Sunday touched his heart.
While describing the deceased as a renowned economist who contributed his quota to the development of the state, the governor noted that despite the security challenge, the policies and programmes of his administration would not be abandoned.
Ortom, who posited that the carrot-and-stick approach of the amnesty programme would be implemented to the letter, maintained that criminals who refused to surrender illegally acquired arms and ammunition when the carrot approach of the programme was being implemented would not have any hiding place.
He commended security agencies for their efforts at reducing crime to the barest minimum and urged them to urgently fish out those behind the killing of his aide.
Reacting to the killing of the governor’s aide, president of the NeGYII, Ambassador Onoja, said yesterday in Makurdi at a one-day inter-religious exchange sharing session/workshop organised by NeGYII in collaboration with CLEEN Consortium that his organisation was saddened by the development, which occurred at a time when its mission on peace to the state was gradually gaining ground.
Onoja, who further harped on the need for tolerance and mutual understanding among Nigerians, irrespective of religion, political affiliation, culture and tribe, enjoined the people to unite against violence, terror, insurgency and all forms of insecurity currently plaguing the country.
He said: “Let us join hands to save our communities, our society and our nation from the incubus of violence, terror, insurgency and every sense of insecurity that pervade our land and nation. We need peace in our country to achieve our collective interest.
“In our narratives about violence, radicalisation and terrorism, we must not make the mistake that these vices have a religion. A terrorist is a person not a religion.”