Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has appealed to the abductors of the Caretaker Chairman of Ukum Local Government Area of the state, Rev. Gideon Haanongon, and three others, to release them unconditionally.

Alia made the appeal during the burial of the traditional ruler of Katsina-Ala, Fezanga Wombo, at the Akume Atongo Stadium, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State on Saturday.

The Star had reported that Haanongon, his orderly, driver, and personal assistant were kidnapped in the early hours of Saturday, while on their way to attend the funeral ceremony of the late traditional ruler.

Governor Alia, who called for the immediate release of the the kidnapped chairman and his aides, said his administration was ready to engage the youths to be useful in the society, if they refrained from criminal activities.

He decried the spate of killings and kidnappings in the area by bandits, warning that his administration would not condone such nefarious acts.

Alia called on both serving and former lawmakers, as well as other prominent sons of Sankara, to convene an emergency meeting to proffer lasting solutions to the insecurity in the area.

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The governor assured that their recommendations, when forwarded to him, would be implemented immediately.

He also urged traditional leaders in the area to put heads together to proffer lasting solutions to the challenges bedevilling the area, saying his administration was determined to ensure that peace returned not only to Logo, Ukum and Katsina-Ala LGAs, but to the entire state.

Alia, therefore, commiserated with the family of Wombo over the demise of their father and urged them to be consoled in the fact that he lived a fulfilled life.

On his part, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, called for collective responsibility to move Benue State forward.

Akume, who was represented by Sen Jack Gyado, called on all Sankara sons to ensure that peace returned to the area.

The SGF pledged the federal government’s commitment to ensuring that there was peace in Benue State for efficient development.

In his remarks a son of the deceased, Solomon Wombo, a member representing Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, appealed for peace in the constituency.

The Star