The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condoled the Plateau chapter of the party over the murder of Sylvanus Namang, state publicity secretary.

Mr Namang was shot dead on Saturday night at a provision store in Pankshin.

He was killed along with the owner of the store, Sunday Okonkwo.

APC national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, who led the NWC members to the party’s state secretariat and the deceased family in Jos on Thursday, prayed to God to grant Namang’s soul eternal rest.

Mr Ganduje, represented by APC deputy national chairman (North) Ali Dalori, described Mr Namang as a hardworking member who contributed to the party’s growth.

The national chairman said the party would do everything within its powers to ensure that the killers of Mr Namang were brought to justice.

“We are here to condole with you over the demise of our hardworking colleague, Sylvanus Namang. The sad news came to us when we were having an NWC meeting. We suspended the meeting for over 30 minutes because we were all shocked and sad.

“The only thing our great party and the government in place can do is make sure that we assiduously look into the remote causes of his death. And if he was assassinated, if it was a political assassination, whatever it was, the government must bring to book the culprits.

“That’s the only way that the party and Plateau people can be a little happy, and I assure you that the party will leave no stone unturned in making sure that the killers are apprehended,” he said.

Plateau APC chairman, Rufus Bature, said the circumstances of Namang’s death were so painful that the party was yet to come to terms with the reality that he was no more.

Mr Bature said that though, as humans, death was inevitable, the way Namang was killed was what bothered the party and the people. The chairman said, however, that the visit of the NWC members consoled the party.

Meanwhile, a Coalition of APC Youths Support Groups said the government needed to take proactive measures to address the root causes of such violence and ensure the safety and security of all citizens.

Johnson Nenman, chairman of the coalition, who briefed journalists in Jos on Thursday, said that addressing the underlying issues contributing to insecurity and violence was crucial to preventing such tragic incidents in the future.

Mr Nenman called on security agencies to urgently and thoroughly investigate the killing of the Plateau APC scribe.

(NAN)