Nasarawa Killings: My hands are clean, says Labaran Maku
The Minister of Information, Labaran
Maku, on Sunday dismissed a media report associating him with the recent
wave of violence in Nasarawa State.
The minister made the denial via a statement signed by his Press Secretary, Joseph Mutah, in Abuja.
The statement described the media report as false, unfounded and calculated to dent the image and integrity of the minister.
“The newspaper claimed that the violence
stemmed from alleged rivalry between the Minister of Information,
Labaran Maku, and Gov. Umaru Tanko Al-Makura over the 2015 governorship
election.
“It is shocking that this story was
published without recourse to the available facts about the unfortunate
violence, which are in the public domain in Nasarawa State and which
have also been reported widely in the media.
“The story is, therefore, completely
false, unfounded and a calculated attempt to associate the good name of
the honourable minister with the ugly violence in Nasarawa State,” it
said.
The statement said that the reporter did
not understand the facts on ground, adding that on the other hand, the
story could have been deliberately planted to divert the attention of
Nigerians and security agencies from the real issues.
It stressed that the minister was not in
any way involved in the bloodbath in the state or elsewhere in the
country, noting that Maku was renowned for his stand against violence in
Nigeria.
“For the information of the members of
the public, the Minister of Information has, in the last one year, waged
a one-man campaign in Nasarawa State against the activities of the
militia and mercenaries, who have been destroying communities, lives and
property in the state,’’ it said.
It said that the people of Nasarawa
State knew the facts behind this unfortunate violence and its
masterminds, adding that they could, therefore, not be swayed to believe
anything else.
The statement quoted Mr. Maku as
“calling on all the peace-loving people of Nasarawa State, particularly
the youths, to refuse to be used as agents of destruction and to rise up
against the increasing wave of violence by militia, mercenaries and
cultists in the state”.
It called on security agencies to carry
out a thorough investigation of the incident and bring the perpetrators
of the recent carnage in Nasarawa State to justice.
Source: Premium Times
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