Jang’s NGF condemns killings in North

A faction of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, under the leadership of the Governor of Plateau State, Mr. Jonah Jang, has condemned the killings in Kaduna, Benue and some North-Eastern states.

The governors, who had a closed-door meeting that lasted from Wednesday night to the early morning of Thursday in Abuja, also called on Nigerians to give the ongoing national conference the needed support and encouragement.

Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, who read the communique after the meeting, said that the forum sympathised with the governors and people of the affected states where he said insurgents had carried out their atrocities.

The communique partly reads, “The forum deliberated on the security situation in the country and strongly condemned the killings in Benue, Kaduna and some of the North-Eastern states and sympathises with the governors and people of these states.

“The forum commends Mr. President for convening the National Conference and called on all Nigerians to give it the needed support and encouragement.

“The forum welcomes His Excellency, Dr. Willy Obiano, the newly-elected Governor of Anambra State, to the forum. The forum also congratulates the Chairman, the Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency, Dr. Jonah Jang, on his 70th birthday. We wish him many more years ahead.”

Also speaking with journalists after the meeting, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio and his Benue State counterpart, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, decried the security situation in the country and particularly in Benue.

Akpabio said, “All state agencies must rise to the occasion and the governors on their part must redouble their efforts in terms of intelligence gathering and also in terms of policing. We must do everything possible to assist the security agencies to succeed in our various states.”