The Forum of Concerned Friends has condemned in strong terms allegations against the Special Adviser designate to Governor of Benue State, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia, Hon Benedict Akombo, over purported arrest and detention of one Mr Gyenger Paul Terhemba by the police in Benue.
The forum described Hon Akombo as a decent and an accomplished financial expert whose involvement in politics of is propelled by his desire to contribute his quota to the development Benue state and not to indulge in activities that are contrary to all known standards of simple human decency and respect for individual political choices .
The forum stated that the allegations against Honourable Akombo as having a hand in the said arrest are mere orchestrations to drag his hard earned reputation into the mud as it has unfortunately become the new normal for unscrupulous characters to hurl abuses and malign character people of high moral standing .
The forum in a statement signed by its spokesman Andrew Oota in Abuja, further described the news on a social media platform (facebook) as malicious, unfortunate and a figment of the imagination its promoters, seeking attention at all cost.
The forum described the allegations as preposterous, pedestrian and in bad faith, noting that the law enforcement agencies have the constitutional prerogative to invite or question anybody they deem fit to do so.
“It is unreasonable for anyone to try to link innocent and serious minded individuals to such prerogatives of the police, whose responsibility it is to ensure that the society is rid of negative tendencies”, it said.
The forum equally advised the law enforcement agencies to also exercise professionalism in the conduct of there duties and avoid acting on emotional choices, whims and caprices of politicians bent on settling scores.
According to the statement, Honourable Akombo’s entrance into the politics of Benue should rather be celebrated, having left a highly rated and enviable position in the banking sector to serve his people through quality advise to Governor Alia.
It urged promoters of this unfounded slide to realise the negative impact of fake news on society, stressing that fake news has the potential of turning a peaceful society into a lawless one on account of deliberate misinformation.
It called on all sons and daughters of Benue state to see social media as a market place of ideas and not a place to abuse, promote hate, foul language, vindictiveness and malicious posts that can only trigger negative reactions and tarnish people’s hard earned reputation .
It called on supporters, friends and followers of Mr Terhember or anybody for that matter to always respond to police invitations, answer the necessary questions and stop chasing shadows.
“Police invitation in itself is not a jail sentence. It is for you to state your side of the story. So, why drag the special adviser designate into what, clearly, he knows nothing about?”, it queried.
