Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, Tersoo Kula, has challenged the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to name the aide they alleged was responsible for blocking Obi from visiting Yelewata community in the state.
Speaking on The Morning Show, an Arise TV programme, on Wednesday, Kula insisted that the state government was initially unaware of the incident until pictures of the obstruction surfaced on the internet. He said: “The incident was completely unknown to the government until we started seeing pictures of what was happening. But before you say, Jack, they addressed the press and accused the governor of blocking his way. Now, the governor has become an accused person.
“I challenged them that they should name that aide. They mentioned a particular aide, and we said they should go ahead and mention him. If there’s any evidence, the police commissioner should ensure that the person who directed this is arrested and brought to book. These are easy assignments. They have the ability to do it.”
Kula also demanded that the party and its presidential flagbearer should provide evidence linking the aide to the alleged obstruction, saying the state government was ready to allow the police investigate the incident and bring anyone found responsible to book.
On insecurity in Benue State, he said: “What is happening in Benue State is somehow difficult to understand. What is happening to Benue State in respect to insecurity is happening to other states. It’s not peculiar to Benue. But there is no excuse saying that because it’s happening to other states, we should be comfortable. We are not comfortable. The reverend father has said to you earlier that he is not comfortable and he is not sleeping in ensuring that the insecurity is reduced to the barest minimum. We now have what we can describe as relative peace in the state.”
