By Iorliam Shija
Gana: The militarization and emergence of a Kalashnikov Culture in the Sankera Axis of Benue State which comprises of Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas , can be traced to the incessant border skirmishes in the late 1980s/1990s which produced community warlords.
When partisan politics began in 1999, some desperate politicians who wanted to win their re-elections recruited some of these warlords amongst others as part of their election winning strategy. The job of these ‘strong men’ was to intimidate and rough-handle anyone who dared to oppose the ambition of their paymasters.
The mopping up of arms after the execution of an election became very difficult and near impossible with the passage of time. Some of the warlords and political militia, often abandoned by the politicians resorted to crime using the very arms which they were given by politicians.
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This was the picture that Samuel Ortom met in 2015 when he became the Governor of Benue State. He then initiated an Amnesty Programme which was targeted at moping the arms in wrong hands and reintegrating the warlords and local militia leaders into the normal society.
Most of the warlords accepted this amnesty and walked freely for a while . Then events conspired against this first amnesty and some of them went back to their trenches .
Entered the second waves of crimes; especially kidnapping, intimidations, extortion of monies from business men and women . Killings of all sorts…..
Combined forces of the military and the police over the years , did everything possible to rope in the ring leaders of this organised syndicate, but few always escaped. One of such elusive and fearful of them all , was Terwase Akwaza, known as Gana.
At a point, both the state and federal government put bounties on his head running into millions , fighter jets and raids and millitary exercises were initiated, simply to neutralize Akwaza, but he always escaped , mysteriously.
It was on the background of this hopeless situation that stakeholders in the most affected local government areas once again held a meeting and decided on a second amnesty for their land .
Political, traditional, religious leaders and Business men in the area all agreed that they would put a proposal to the state government to grant their sons another amnesty. They assured them all that they would bring all of them for the exercise from Katsina Ala to Makurdi.
On Tuesday, 8th September, 2020, the call was made and all the warlords and criminals answered. They were received by their political , traditional and religious leaders at Katsina-Ala town stadium.
The aim was to bring them to Makurdi where the then governor , Samuel Ortom was waiting with top politicians and other top security members , to grant them amnesty.
But then along the way, the military intercepted the convoy and picked some of the warlords including Gana. Later in the day, they announced that many were killed including Gana .
What has happened after these three years since Gana was killed ? This is obviously a story to be written after many years. .
