Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
Two young men from Kano State were shot dead by armed attackers in Agan, a settlement in Makurdi, the capital of Benue State. The killings have triggered widespread anger and heightened tensions in Kano.
The victims, identified as Jamilu Ahmad and Barhana Suleiman, were passing through Makurdi when they were ambushed on Monday evening. They were the sons of Ibrahim Khalil, a prominent Islamic scholar in Kano.
Their bodies were laid to rest at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja on Tuesday after a Janazah (Islamic funeral prayer) held at the National Mosque. The ceremony was attended by National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia strongly condemned the killings, labeling them as “barbaric and unacceptable.” In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, Alia vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice, stressing that his administration would not tolerate criminal elements damaging the state’s reputation.
“Benue people are known for peace and hospitality. We will not allow criminals to distort this image,” Alia said. “The culprits must be apprehended immediately and punished under the law.”
Kula confirmed that police have already arrested five suspects linked to the attack.
In response, Governor Yusuf assured that the Kano government would collaborate with security agencies and Benue authorities to ensure justice is served. He described the victims as “innocent citizens whose only offense was exercising their right to live and travel freely in Nigeria.”
“This government will not relent until justice prevails,” Yusuf stated through his spokesperson, Bature Dawakin Tofa. “We urge calm as we work to hold the killers accountable. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and no one should face violence for simply moving within their own country,” he said.
