By Amos Aar
SECURITY operatives on Friday locked up the Benue State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following a directive by Governor Hyacinth Alia on Tuesday indefinitely banning all political meetings/gatherings in the state over alleged security reasons.
Following the development, the post-inaugural meeting with the executive director, housing, finance and accounts, Dr Mathias Terwase Byuan, scheduled to hold on Friday at the Umar Ganduje Congress Hall of the Benue APC Secretariat (Tinubu House), Makurdi at 10:00 am at the instance of Comrade Austin Agada could not hold.
National Record observed early Friday that the state secretariat was sealed as early as 7am and remained locked till evening under heavy security shield.
However, chief press secretary to the governor, Tersoo Kula, in a statement alleged that “suspended state chairman” of the party, Comrade Austin Agada, and Mathias Byuan led armed men to invade the APC state secretariat to hold the meeting.
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The statement under the title: “Against Gov. Alia’s Directives, Agada, Byuan Invade Benue With Hired Armed Men”, reads: “We have received intelligence reports that the suspended state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Comrade Austin Agada and the Executive Director, Finance and Accounts at the Federal Housing Authority, Mr. Mathias Byuan, have hired armed men into Benue State to shatter the relative peace in Benue State.
“This is against the directive of the governor that all political gatherings in the state be suspended due to the volatile security situation in the state.
“But shockingly, the armed men who accompanied Agada and Byuan reportedly made their way into the heart of the town in a convoy and started shooting sporadically when they got to Tito Gate, Kashim Ibrahim road, Makurdi.
“The duo led the armed men round parts of the old GRA and were headed to property number 75, J S Tarka way said to be owned by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Dr George Akume when the Nigerian police arrived and began to engage them before they disappeared.
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“Recall that Governor Hyacinth Alia had banned all political and social gatherings in the state till further notice. These directives were later publicly communicated to the public through the Commissioner of Police, Benue State command who approved enforcement and equally asked the organizers to call off their meetings.
“The government is worried that some people are still in the habit of insisting to derail the relative peace in the state and hinder development that Gov. Alia is bringing home.
“The security atmosphere in Benue State is only gradually returning to calm after it was charged recently following the unprecedented influx of armed herders who were brought in by enemies of the state to destabilize the government.
“We urge Benue people to be security conscious and immediately report activities of these fifth columnists as we call on security agencies to arrest these merchants of crisis and bring them to book to serve as a deterrent to others”.
A viral video clip that is trending on social media platforms in Benue captured Governor Alia on Friday who stopped while on his way to Government House to address a fairly large crowd of youthful supporters along Kashim Ibrahim Road who hailed him for being in charge.
The underlying crisis in the APC is the lingering power tussle between Governor Alia and Sen. George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who is generally believed to be the governor’s godfather. Alia told the crowd, among other things, that “Benue State is larger, bigger and older than any individual”; a comment seen by many as directed at his now estranged godfather, Sen. Akume.
