The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume has said that the incessant killings of residents of Benue State are not religiously driven.
Akume, a former governor of Benue State also said the attacks and subsequent killings are motivated by economic interests.
In a statement issued on Monday, June 16, Akume described the actions of the killers as utterly condemnable and disheartening.
He also stated that the attacks do not just have a direct impact on the people of Benue but on Nigerians in general.
Akume said, “Plateau and Zamfara states also suffer the same fate. These killings are economically deterministic, not religiously driven.
“The innocent lives lost — men, women, and children — will not be forgotten. We mourn them not as strangers but as brothers and sisters, bound together by a shared humanity and a common destiny,” Akume stated.
The SGF further called on all stakeholders in the state to work with each other to ensure that they forge a path to lasting peace in Benue.
Also commending President Bola Tinubu for his swift action in addressing and finding a lasting solution to the crisis in the state, Akume said he will not relent in his effort to ensure an end to the killings.
“I extend our deepest condolences to the grieving families and the resilient people of Benue. In this dark hour, we stand with you. And we will not rest until justice speaks, — loudly, clearly, and without delay,” Akume said.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
