Olawepo-Hashim commiserates with Benue govt on killings

…mourns Plateau CAN chairman

A former presidential candidate, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has commiserated with the government and people of Benue State over the incessant killings in the state.

Media reports indicate that at least 100 people were killed in an attack by gunmen in a village in the state, according to Amnesty International Nigeria. The reports said the attack took place from late Friday into the early hours of Saturday in the village of Yelwata.

Benue State is in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, a region with a predominantly Christian population within Northern Nigeria. The region faces competition over land use, with conflicts between herders, who seek grazing land for their cattle, and farmers, who need arable land for cultivation.

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Last month, at least 42 people were shot dead by suspected herders in a series of weekend attacks across Gwer West district in Nigeria’s central Benue State.

Hashim maintained that this is the time for President Tinubu to end the killings as the Commander-in-Chief, not to politically grandstand. “No excuses, no finger pointing, just end the killings. The bloodletting has gone on for far too long,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hashim has also condoled with the Christian community in neighbouring Plateau State over the death of the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Father Polycarp Lubo.

In a condolence letter to the state’s CAN, he maintained that “our heart aches for you in this trying period.”

The frontline politician added that “we celebrate the Late Chairman’s remarkable leadership, dedication to duty and service to the body of Christ.”

While praying for peace, strength, and guidance in the days ahead, he maintained that the legacy of the late Lubo will continue to guide the body of Christ in the state.

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