The Chairman, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, Mr. Stevie Ayua has said that bandits in the local government who have genuinely repented, will be reintegrated into the society to live normal lives while unrepentant ones will be flushed out.
Mr. Ayua made the remark on Sunday, during the meeting of the Ukum Traditional rulers, representatives of all security agencies and some other key stakeholders at the Chairman’s Lodge, Sankera at the instance of the Senator representing Benue North East Senatorial District, Dr Gabriel Suswam.
A press statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the Chairman, Timothy Vihimga, and made available to Next Edition states that Senator Suswam was in Ukum on a condolence visit over the cold-blooded murder of the Tyoor of Kundav Ward, late Chief Awua Alabar by some unknown gunmen.
The Chairman said that six notorious criminals came forward and surrendered their weapons and denounced criminality with the promise to live normal lives and assist the security in fighting crime in the local government.
The Chairman maintained that his administration would never allow the youths engage in banditry and other forms of criminality thereby causing hardship on Ukum people and destroying their economic life.
He reiterated his administration’s commitment to accept and deradicalize as many criminals as possible who would want to abandon criminality and turn a new leaf, promising however, to allow the full wrath of the law to bear on those who would continue in those vices.
He also promised close collaboration with the traditional rulers, security agencies, religious leaders and other critical stakeholders to ensure that criminality was knocked out of the local government.
Speaking, Senator Suswam had that he visited Ukum Local Government to register deep condolences with the traditional council and the entire Ukum people over the murder of Chief Awua Alabar.
The Senator said the assassination of Chief Alabar was one death too many, and that he would stop at nothing in ensuring that the perpetrators were brought to book.
Also speaking, the Ter Ukum, HRH Chief Orkaa Kaave said the Senator’s visit was timely as it had reenforced their hope for a better Ukum and boosted their courage to speak out and do more to curtail all forms of criminality in their domain.
He warned the repentant bandits that after their serial profiling and documentation with the relevant security agencies at the state level, there won’t be a second chance for them if they decided to go back to banditry.
Different weapons and ammunition were surrendered to the security by the repentant hoodlums.
