Chief Press Secretary to Benue state governor, Mr. Terver Akase, has debunked the allegation that Governor Samuel Ortom asked the military to return weapons surrendered by repentant youth, some of whom were granted amnesty last week Tuesday.
He said the article published in an online site, which cited a tweet credited to special assistant to the senate president on new media as not only false but also mischievous.
Akase in a press statement made available to newsmen Tuesday stated that Governor Ortom presided over the Friday September 11, 2020 expanded meeting of the Benue State Security Council did not ask the military to return the weapons recovered from the repentant youth.
Akase said what the governor said on behalf of the security council was for the release of vehicles and other items such as official documents confiscated by the army during the operation including the official Hilux vehicle of the executive chairman of Katsina-Ala local government council, Alfred Atera, in which the late Terwase Akwaza, also known as Gana, was being conveyed to Makurdi for the amnesty programme.
He said it was the considered resolution of the council that the release of the affected youth would enable them complete the amnesty process, which would reshape their lives as better human beings.
“It is on record that at the end of the 2015/2016 amnesty programme which Governor Ortom anchored, more than 800 Benue youth including Akwaza embraced the scheme and over 1,000 weapons were recovered. The governor invited United Nations, the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM), as well as other relevant organisations who took part in the public destruction of the recovered weapons in Makurdi.
“The question now is, if the governor publicly destroyed the recovered weapons, why would his administration want to keep the ones recently surrendered by the repentant youth? Such insinuation is senseless.
“We find the said online publication as a gross misrepresentation of what took place after the Benue security council meeting.
“The writer’s claim that Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) also quoted the governor as having demanded for the return of the recovered weapons is equally false as the television station did not air such a report.
“We urge Nigerians to disregard the report in its entirety.
“Governor Ortom will not be distracted from his focus on ensuring peace in the state and continued support to security forces to guarantee the safety of lives and property of Benue people,” statement read in part.
