former Benue Governor Gabriel Suswam and militia leader Gana who
was killed by the military on Tuesday.
Immediate past governor of Benue State and serving
Senator Gabriel Suswam has called for an investigation into the
killing of Terwase Agwaza alias Gana, after criticising the
circumstances that led to the wanted militia leader’s
end.
Suswam, a who represents Benue North Senatorial District, made
the call a day after the military announced that it killed the
militia leader who had been wanted for years in a firefight.
“Even war criminals captured alive are entitled to certain
rights,” he said in a statement titled ‘A Time to Heal’.
“The claim that Gana was killed in a gunfight needs further
explanation because those who accompanied him and who watched him
being taken away, including his Local Government Chairman, do not
believe he was in possession of any arms.
“An independent judicial commission of inquiry will unravel
facts of the matter to serve as lessons for the future”.
READ ALSO: Wanted Militia Leader Gana Killed
Suswam’s comments on the killing are similar to those of Benue
State Governor Samuel Ortom who accused the military of bungling a
plan aimed at bringing about peace and putting the security of the
state in jeopardy.
He confirmed that Gana, a militia leader who had evaded
authorities for years, had come out of his hideout on Tuesday as
part of an amnesty programme by the Benue government.
He said, “The Benue State Government along with the security
agencies have long desired for a return to normalcy, peace,
prosperity, and security of the area.
“We have all been in agreement that the continuous existence and
activities of gangs are an ill wind that blows no one any good.
That is why some leaders were mandated to reach out to these
outlaws to persuade them to drop their arms and channel their
energies towards the rebuilding of our thoroughly battered
community.
“We were all excited to see the dreaded Gana come out of hiding
to the warm embrace of our Traditional Rulers, Clergy and political
leaders at a public function at the Akume Atongo Stadium in
Katsina-Ala. Our joy was multiplied when we saw him along with his
militia surrender arms and publicity renounce a life of crime. Our
reverred King extracted a pledge from him never to turn his kingdom
into a wasteland.”
Pictures which emerged from the meeting between Gana and local
authorities on Tuesday before he was killed, showed the militia
leader, all smiles, standing with a traditional ruler.
Suswam in his statement said those at the forum “heaved a great
sigh of relief with the thought that finally, a life full of
uncertainty has come to an end”.
But he is now concerned about the future in his Senatorial
district where he said Gana had been a source of terror and warned
extrajudicial killings can only lead to more trouble.
He said, “While I have been consistent in condemning the reign
of terror he unleashed on his community, I cannot in good
conscience as a lawyer of over three decades and a senior
parliamentarian accept cold-blooded extra-judicial murder of an
unarmed person as a solution to our security problems. The lessons
of the Boko Haram escalation after a similar murder of its leader
are still here with us.
“If this method is accepted as a norm in our country, there will
be no need for laws and courts. We stand to benefit more by
subjecting suspects to due process of the law. Information
extracted from a living Gana would have helped security agents get
to the root of activities of criminals. By this Gestapo style
execution, we have missed an opportunity to learn vital lessons
about the structure of crime in the area.”
Suswam’s statement
A Time to Heal
At times of uncertainties and
crisis, it is incumbent on statesmen to stand out and douse
situations especially those that threaten the good order of
society. The role of elders at times like this is not to
inflame passions or fan the embers of hate but to heal all wounds.
We are at such a critical juncture in our existence in Benue
State.
The events of September 8 2020
in my senatorial district where repentant criminals who had
surrendered after extensive persuasions were singled out and killed
extra-judicially leaves a sour taste and has opened a gaping wound
that requires all efforts to heal.
It is no secret that my
senatorial district has been traumatized and the people terrorized
by activities of criminal gangs led by MR Terwase Agwaza alias Gana
for many years. The consequences of this endless terrorism has been
a steady decline of economic and social activities leaving a once
prosperous people pauperized. Markets no longer attract traders,
schools are closed and farmlands abandoned. Politics in the area
has become war with an uncontrolled proliferation of dangerous
weapons.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
No responsible leader will idly
standby and watch his community become a theatre of war and a
gangster’s paradise. It is with this solution mindset that
traditional rulers, clergymen and elders of the area decided to
utilize means of constructive engagement and dialogue to ensure
that youths of the area do not become tools for the destruction of
that society.
The Benue State Government along
with the security agencies have long desired for a return to
normalcy, peace, prosperity and security of the area.
We have all been in agreement that the continuous existence and
activities of gangs is an ill wind that blows no one any
good. That is why some leaders were mandated to reach out to
these outlaws to persuade them to drop their arms and channel their
energies towards the rebuilding of our thoroughly battered
community.
We were all excited to see the
dreaded Gana come out of hiding to the warm embrace of our
Traditional Rulers, Clergy and political leaders at a public
function at the Akume Atongo Stadium in Katsina Ala. Our joy was
multiplied when we saw him along with his militia surrender arms
and publicity renounce a life of crime. Our reverred King
extracted a pledge from him never to turn his kingdom into a
wasteland.
Those present at this forum
heaved a great sigh of relief with the thought that finally, a life
full of uncertainty has come to and end.
I was totally dumbfounded to
learn that while Gana was on his way to Makurdi the state capital
to present himself to the State Governor who was waiting, his long
convoy that included political leaders, Traditional rulers, clergy
men and security agencies was ambushed by allegedly armed soldiers
and he isolated and taken away. In the midst of the confusion,
pictures began to circulate on social media of the bullet ridden
body of Gana with a rifle callously placed on his
side.
While I have been consistent in
condemning the reign of terror he unleashed on his community, I
cannot in good conscience as a lawyer of over three decades and a
senior parliamentarian accept cold blooded extra judicial murder of
an unarmed person as a solution to our security problems. The
lessons of the Boko Haram escalation after a similar murder of its
leader are still here with us.
If this method is accepted as a
norm in our country, there will be no need for laws and courts. We
stand to benefit more by subjecting suspects to due process of the
law. Information extracted from a living Gana would have helped
security agents get to the root of activities of criminals. By this
gestapo style execution, we have missed an opportunity to learn
vital lessons about the structure of crime in the
area.
Even war criminals captured
alive are entitled to certain rights. The claim that Gana was
killed in a gunfight needs further explanation because those who
accompanied him and who watched him being taken away, including his
Local Government Chairman do not believe he was in possession of
any arms. An independent judicial commission of inquiry will
unravel facts of the matter to serve as lessons for the
future.
It is unfortunate that this
event has escalated tensions in the area and that is why I am using
this opportunity to plead with all elders and community leaders to
rein in their youths and avoid a deterioration of an already bad
situation.
This is a time to heal and not
war. This is a time to hold each other to our common values as
human beings. This is a time to rebuild our fractured society. This
is a time to rally together as brothers and say Enough is
Enough.
Senator Gabriel Suswam,
C.O.N