Nigerian Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue and Darius Ishaku of Taraba States
have resolved to grant amnesty to criminals operating along the border
of the states.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offer is part of
the resolution at the end of the joint security meeting between the two
states held at the Federal University Wukari in Taraba.
Ishaku, who read the communiqué at the end of the tour of some border
communities of Abako, Sai and Dogon-Gawa, said the amnesty window took
effect immediately and would expire by the end of January 2019.
“We are willing to give amnesty to criminals who are willing to
renounce criminality and surrender their weapons so that we can give
them better jobs and reintegrate them into the society.
“Criminals willing to surrender, including those that defaulted in
the past, are free to contact any of us (governors), traditional rulers
and security agencies.
“Elections are around the corner and we will like to do this between
now and end of January so that we can secure our places and synergise
for peaceful elections,” he said.
The meeting condemned the spate of kidnappings, armed robbery and banditry involving youths in the states at the border.
It stressed the need for job creation as a fundamental tool to reduce unemployment which made youths to take to criminality.
It called for adequate provision of logistics support to the security
agencies by both the federal and state governments to sustain
surveillance.
The meeting called on the people of the areas to report all forms of
criminality to appropriate authorities and not shield criminals in their
domain.
“The governors have resolved to constitute a joint security committee
made up of people of proven integrity and locals of the area between
the two states to address the security challenges and a joint security
forces to be constituted with a police station at Sai.
“The joint security meeting mandates the Boundary Committees of the
states in conjunction with the National Boundary Commission to meet and
ensure that boundary issues involving the two states are resolved,” he
said.
Ortom called on the people of the states to report criminals in their
domain to security agencies, be law abiding and shun acts capable of
dividing them.
NAN reports that the security meeting was attended by heads of
security agencies from both states, traditional rulers and top
government functionaries from the states, including the immediate past
governor of Benue, Dr Gabriel Suswam.