Benue killings: Nasarawa governor fumes, threatens to sue Vice Chancellor

By Taiye Agbaje

Gov. Abdullahi Sule has challenged Prof. Zacharys Gundu, the Vice Chancellor (VC) of University of Mkar, Gboko to provide evidence to back up his statement that he is fueling killings in Benue State or retract it within seven day with an apology, or get ready to face court action.

Sule made the demand in a letter written to Gundu through his counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, dated July 22, made available to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

The Governor demanded the retraction of the statement credited to Gundu on a national television within seven days.

Sule alleged that the damage caused by the statement of the VC was unquantifiable.

The varsity professor was alleged to have said during a programme on the TV that, “issue of Nasarawa has come up and we know that even during Al-Makura’s time, those people were coming there and attacking Benue, and Al-Makura would call them international hunters.

“He would call them international hunters, in spite of the fact that Nasarawa does not have an international hunting ground; he would call them because he wanted to mask that.

“The governor of Nasarawa, Sule, is also masking the problem.

“Now no other person in his right senses will ever say that the people who are killing and attacking us are coming from outside the country.”

The governor, in his reaction, challenged the VC to provide evidence or retract his statement within seven day with an apology, or face court action.

According to him, the statements has injured his reputation in the eyes and minds of right thinking person in the society.

“In the foregoing premise, our client hereby challenges you to provide evidence of your allegations therein against him, which has seriously injured his reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of the society.

The letter reads: “Given the far-reaching ramification of your publication, our client will not sit back and watch his hard-earned reputation and goodwill destroyed by your malicious decision to not only lay false allegations against him, but also, to cause the same to be published for the world’s attention.

“Surely, the damage occasioned to our client by your deliberate but ill-advised action is unquantifiable.

“However, our client will be assuaged, if you retract the said publication and tender an unreserved public apology to him in at least 5 [five] nationa! daily newspapers within 7 [seven] days of receipt of this letter.

“If not, we have our client’s further instructions to seek redress against you in a court of law where exemplary damages will be claimed against you. Kindly be advised.”

(NAN)