….Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State said full military action has been declared to tackle the menace of armed bandits terrorising the Sankera axis of the state.
Recall that bandits had Tuesday night attacked Ayati community in Borikyo Council Ward of the LGA of Ukum Local Government Area, LGA, of the state where they murdered some of the residents which sparked angry protest on Wednesday that was eventually hijacked by alleged criminals who went razing personal and public properties in Sankera.
Addressing the state in a live broadcast in Makurdi, Governor Alia who sympathised with the victims decried the activities of the bandits and the mayhem unleash on innocent persons and destruction of properties in Ukum LGA.
He said, “Since the advent of our administration, several efforts have been put in place to eliminate the activities of bandits. Consequently, the combined efforts of our security agencies pushed back some bandit from their handout outs 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 targets and killed six civilians at Ayati, believing that the members of the Ayati community were responsible for giving information on their operations and locations and handouts.
“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.
Peoplesmind
