The immediate past governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has condemned the gruesome killing of the wanted militia leader in the state, Terwase Akwaza, popularly called Gana by the Nigerian military.
Suswam who represents Benue North-East Senatorial District, expressed his displeasure over the incident in a statement he issued on Wednesday.
He said the people of Sankera, where Gana hailed from and allegedly operated with his criminal gangs, in the early hours of Tuesday, were all excited to see the dreaded Gana come out of hiding to the warm embrace of traditional rulers, clergy and political leaders at a public function at the Akume Atongo Stadium in Katsina-Ala, adding the joy of the people was multiplied when they saw him along with his militia men surrendering their arms and publicly renouncing crime.
The senator said that he was totally dumbfounded to learn that, while Gana was on his way to Makurdi, the state capital to present himself to the governor who was waiting, his long convoy that included political leaders, traditional rulers, clergy men and security agents was ambushed by soldiers who isolated and whisked him away.
Senator Suswam added that in the midst of the confusion, pictures began to circulate on social media of the bullet-ridden body of Gana with a rifle planted on him.
The former governed who clarified that, while he was always consistent in condemning the reign of terror, Gana unleashed on his community, he could not in good conscience as a lawyer of over three decades and a senior parliamentarian accept cold blooded extra-judicial murder of an unarmed person as a solution to security problems, adding that lessons of the Boko Haram escalation after a similar murder of its leader were still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.
He noted that if extra-judicial killings become acceptable, there would be no need for the law courts to operate.
Suswam further added that, even war criminals captured alive are entitled to certain rights, saying the claim that Gana was killed in a gunfight needed further explanation as those who accompanied him and him being taken away never believed he was in possession of arms.
He, however, called for an independent judicial commission of inquiry to unravel the facts of the matter to serve as lessons for the future.