I’ve ran out of patience with bandits -Gov. Alia fumes

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has said that his administration will no longer guarantee the olive leaf branch extended to bandits who reside in the forest.
In particular, Governor Alia declared that his government has ran out of patient with youths who have chosen to reside in the forest and continually launch attack on innocent citizens.
Addressing a statewide broadcast on Thursday night, the Governor noted thag one year after, the bandits have remained in the forest, unleashing mayhem on the people of Sankera.
Recall that before his emergence as Governor, Alia had promised to get the bandits (whom he called my brothers) out of the forest and rehabilitate them.
Alia, explained that since the advent of his administration, several efforts have been put in place to eliminate the activities of bandits, maintaining that the combined efforts of security agencies have pushed back some bandits from their hideouts and subsequently neutralized two bandits, recovered seven motorcycle, two English pistols, a Toyota camry, and commercial tricycle and lots of charms.
“As a reprisal, some bandits hit some soft target and killed the earlier six civilians at Ayati, believing that the members of the Ayati community were responsible for given information on their operations and locations and hideouts.
“This led to an initial protest of anger and frustration of family members and women regarding the killings of their loved ones on the Ayati-Sai road down to Sankera, understandable. I have heard the genuine cries of those aggrieved families.
“Regrettably, these peaceful protests were hijacked by bandits and miscreants who had carefully planned to undertake and unleash mayhem on businesses and peace-loving people of Sankera.
“I assure you that I have listened. The mayhem caused by these heinous acts of violence has not gone unnoticed and I stand with you in condemning these atrocities. Full military intervention has been ordered. My heart goes out to the three soldiers and two police officers who were wounded in the line of duty protecting lives and properties of citizens in Sakara.
“However, let me make it clear that while we empathize with the pain and frustration felt, we must channel our energies towards constructive actions. Destruction of public property and chaos only serve to compound our challenges and divert resources that could be better used to address the root causes of these issues”, he stressed.
While intimating that government will in the next few days, set up a commission of enquiry to investigate the remote and immediate causes of this mayhem, the Governor also assured of the administration’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all residents of Benue State, averring that they have intensified efforts with the security agencies to bring the perpetrators of these violent and criminal acts to justice.
He added that government is working on preventive measures to ensure such an incident does not reoccur, now or in future.