Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Sunday condemned the assassination of a prominent health rights advocate and leader in Nigeria’s development sector, Mr Chris Terfa.
This is just as the Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) has said that it has fully evoked their wrath against youths that have been sponsored by local and external sponsors to execute the killing of innocent people of the state.
The deceased (Terfa) was the chairperson of the National Key Population Health and Rights Network (NKPHRN) and the Executive Director of Concerned Youth for Development Initiative (CYDI) before he was tragically assassinated in his office complex by unidentified assailants at the weekend in Makurdi.
Governor Alia who led some top government functionaries to visit the family of the deceased, expressed deep sorrow over the loss and extended his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased.
The governor who recalled the deceased’s significant contributions to the health and human rights sectors, particularly his efforts in advocating for vulnerable populations in the fight against HIV/AIDS, commended the prompt action of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of ‘E’ Division, Daniel Ezeala, and his team, as the ongoing investigation aims to uncover further details and identify the culprits.
Governor Alia was briefed that a suspect was already in custody and was cooperating with security agencies to unravel the circumstances behind the assassination, and further directed all security agencies in the state to hunt and ensure the perpetrators and anyone connected to the dastardly act is apprehended and brought to book.
He assured the public, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Kula Tersoo that the state government was fully committed to ensuring that justice is swiftly served.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Council of the Tiv nation, the Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) has said that it has fully released their wrath against youths that are been sponsored by local and external enemies to execute the killing of innocent people of the state.
The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Iorzua Ayatse disclosed this in a reaction to the massacre of over 40 of his subjects at Ayati in Ukum local government area at the weekend.
Prof. Ayatse who is the Chairman of the State Council of Chiefs, condemned the killings which he described as “barbaric, shocking and traumatizing”.
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and ICT, Mr. Freddie Adamgbe, the Tor Tiv noted the untiring efforts of the state government and the traditional institution to contain the carnage in the Sankera axis, stressing that the latest incident where dozens of people were murdered in cold blood was indeed depressing.
He said the incident has thrown the entire TATC into mourning, and wondered “why external forces have kept on sponsoring and murdering, in concert with local misguided elements of the area that have sold themselves to evil and are in complicity in killing their very kith and kin”.
The ‘Begha u Tiv’ noted that despite the latest initiative of Sankera sons and daughters who have had peace meetings, and have been suing and working for peace to return in the area for the overall development, the perpetrators still carried on their heinous act and urged that no one should feel dampened over the incident to give up.
He commiserated with direct victims of the attacks and killings as well as their families, and many that are currently displaced and living in fear and uncertainty.
He admonished citizens of the state to cooperate with the government, security agencies and all initiatives of government, and called for the arrest of the perpetrators to face justice.
He restated the commitment of the TATC to work in synergy with government to bring peace to all parts of Tiv land, but warned the youths that are being used by local and external sponsors that the wrath of the traditional authority is fully evoked against them, and any one directly or complicit in the unending killings in both Ayati and across his domain will not be spared.
