Where is Benue’s most wanted man, Ghana?
From Hope Abah, Makurdi
Precisely, on Monday, August 31, 2015, many people caught the glimpse of Terwase Akwasa, popularly known as “Ghana” for the first time at the Government House in Makurdi.
That day, a crowd had gathered to witness the public surrender of 84 weapons by Ghana, an alleged notorious armed militia kingpin believed to have terrorised residents within Benue and Taraba states border towns.
For the young administration of Governor Samuel Ortom, which was then barely three months old, the feat was historic, at least it was the best thing to have happened to the All Progressives Congress (APC) government now at the helms and determined to prove a point to the defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Before then, the dreaded Ghana had not beeen known to the public.
Even during the administration of ex-governor Suswam, the name of the alleged kingpin sounded mysterious to some people who in their estimation concluded him to be spiritually powerful beyond human destruction.
Thereafter, he was given the job of spearheading produce revenue generation across the 23 local government areas of the state after being subjected to a one-month reformation programme alongside many other youths who denounced their bad ways.
A brief ceremony was held at the Government House on that particular day Ghana showed up, accompanied by members of the amnesty programme, his wife, Queen and their few months old baby, Rev. Father Abraham, some clergies as well as a lawyer, Barr. Terfa Jirgba, representing his interest while the Catholic Bishop of Kastina-Ala Diocese, Bishop Peter Adobo was applauded for the role he played to turn up the repentant kingpin.
Gana, before he surrendered, was believed to have masterminded several killings, unrest and chaos around the zone A, Benue North East senatorial district of the state and so observers at the event had feared that his repentance might likely not be genuine. But speakers at the occasion had assured intermittently that the amnesty was for real and that the society had no need to panic.
Before he embraced the amnesty, his alleged activities in Kastina-Ala, his home local government area and its surroundings, forced certain security headquarters in Abuja to deploy their team of operatives to troubled sections of the state for proper investigation, but sadly, some members of the task force on special assignment were felled by the bullets of the hoodlums suspected to be Ghana’s boys.
Needless to say that at different times he was declared wanted severally by security agencies in the both states of Benue and Taraba in connection with various crimes around the Tiv-speaking areas of the two states.
Amazingly, on that fateful Monday afternoon, he stormed the Government House in Makurdi in the company of his wife, clergies, lawyer and relatives to willingly denounce his illegal activities in the presence of heads of security agencies in the state, his ‘sins’ were promptly forgiven.
In his remark at the occasion, Ghana had confessed that the incessant land disputes between his Tiv kinsmen in both Benue and Taraba states led him into terrorism as he fortified himself to defend his people who were being overrun “by the enemy.”
He apologised for his bad behaviour and pledged absolute support for the amnesty programme on behalf of his group who he said made him head of the local militia to wade off attacks in his Gbishe community of Kastina-Ala local government area.
Thereafter, Ortom intimated that as a result of Gana’s willingness to turn in himself, the security council had reviewed the amnesty programme and extended it to a period of four weeks, till the end of September so that his boys would have the opportunity to key into the amnesty.
According to the governor: “Agwaza popularly called Ghana became terror to Benue and Taraba states as a result of his illegal activities and he was declared wanted in both states. But, he has come willingly and surrendered his weapons. We have succeeded this far due to the intervention from the Catholic Bishop of Kastina-Ala diocese.”
Based on that declaration, the Ortom administration absorbed him, but the romance was rather short-lived following the murder of an aide to the governor, Denen Igbana in May, 2016 for which he was allegedly fingered.
Soon, there were series of killings in Kastina-Ala, Ukum and Logo local government areas respectively, including that of over 20 deaths recorded at the Zaki-Biam market on March, 22, 2017, which occurred after gunmen suspected to Ghana’s boys opened fire on innocent traders and buyers.
Apart from allegedly carrying out his personal illegal activities in the area, the dreaded kingpin was said to have been used by many politicians in the past, especially before, during and after the general elections of 2011 and 2015 in suspected deadly operations by militias in the area believed to be headed by Ghana.
Irked by various other killings linked to the handiwork of the kingpin after he fell out of romance with the present administration, angry Ortom and joint security outfits in the state declared Ghana wanted and placed the sum of N5 million ransom on his head.
Since then, several arrests of suspected criminals in connection with Ghana had been made but he is yet to be captured. However, Ortom in his determination to find the kingpin at all cost has reviewed the ransom upward to N10 million and nothing lately had been heard of him.
Sometimes last year, the governor was propelled to warn people of Ghana’s hometown from shielding him, as he posited that, “Those who are afraid in Katsina-Ala and Sankera to talk about Ghana are just wasting their time. The people from Sankera are shielding him which is not good. Ghana is being shielded by his people. It’s unfortunate. All the chiefs in his area have run away. Ghana’s days are numbered, he will be arrested. People should not be afraid to report him,” Ortom said.
Ghana was the ring leader of a militia group who operated in the Sankera axis of the state until he was granted amnesty by the state government in August, 2015 after he surrendered his weapons.
He was later accused by the present administration of murder, kidnapping, among others and subsequently advised to report to the police in connection with the murder of Ortom’s Special Assistant on Special Security, the late Denen Igbana, who made a dying declaration that Ghana was among his killers.
Interestingly, the world may look at Ghana as a crook, but where he hailed from, he is a hero following his ability to wade off target against his community and for even establishing a secondary school for his Gbishe community.
Meanwhile, Ghana, in August, 2016 told Channels Television in an interview from his hideout that he did not kill Igbana, adding that he declined to honour the police invitation because he was not sure of his safety.