Benue Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia on Sunday said he has the assurances of various groups that have dissociated themselves from the planned hunger protest in the state.
Governor Alia disclosed this to journalists after the mass held at the government house chaplain in Makurdi.
The governor applauded the security chiefs in the state for having good relationships with various groups that have dissociated themselves from the hunger protest.
Alia noted that the state had suffered serious insecurity in the past and could no longer experience another protest.
The governor cited the recent violent protest in Ukum LGA of the state where personal and government properties worth hundreds of millions of naira were destroyed.
He said participating in hunger protest may worsen the fragile peace of the state just as he expressed fear that hoodlums may hijack the protest.
According to him, “I was quite excited with the efforts of the Director of State Security Service and Commissioner of Police in the state who on their own made efforts and established contact where necessary.
“And am grateful to organized labour in the state, student union, market union, and others for being considerate not to participate in any protest that at the end of the day might be hijacked by hoodlums and our entire peace destabilised.
“We are in precarious times and we are not taking chances of this and this is why I must emphasise that as a country and federating unit, we cherish our freedom and liberty security must be paramount and it’s my prerogative that I protect people’s freedom and liberty this is why we can not hold any protest at all in any part of Benue State.
The governor however blamed Abuja politicians for the crisis in the Sankera axis and promised to release names of perpetrators of the violent protest that rocked Ukum LGA about a month ago the moment commission of inquiry already set up its investigation and submitted its report.
