Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has disbursed scholarships to 55 children of security officers killed in the line of duty, many during insurgent attacks while serving in the state.
Governor Alia in a statement by his Technical Adviser on Media, Publicity and Strategic Communication Solomon Iorpev called the officers’ sacrifices “a testament that peace is expensive.”
He vowed that their deaths “must mean something to us” and pledged to fund the children’s education regardless of their origins, as long as their parents served in Benue.
“We cannot replace them, but their sacrifices must not be in vain,” Alia said.
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Governor Alia urged residents to view security forces as partners in combating crime and assured widows that profiled recipients would receive startup funds for small businesses.
Alia also sponsored 23 students from Notre Dame Secondary School in Mkar, promising ongoing support through their studies.
“See the relevance of a good education,” he told them, “and make me proud.”
NewsQuest reports that Benue State in recent years has faced insecurity challenges including herder-farmer clashes and terrorism with several death recorded and thousands displaced.
