Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau has urged the family of former governor Joshua Dariye to forgive those responsible for the death of their father as they buried their parents on Saturday.

The funeral rites for the late Pa Dariye Defyan, who was kidnapped and gruesomely murdered in 2020, took place in Mushere, Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau.

Mr Defwan, who was aged 98 and the father of Mr Dariye, was buried alongside his wife, Ma Saratu Defyan, who passed away on January 28 at the age of 92.

Mr Mutfwang, while commiserating with the family members, urged them to let forgiveness take its course as they committed the remains of Pa and Ma Defwan to Mother Earth.

“We pray that the good Lord will grant Mr Dariye and the entire members of the Dariye family the fortitude to bear this great loss, especially considering the circumstances in which his father was killed.

“Death will always remain painful, It will always create a void in our lives, but life must go on, I pray that God will comfort your heart and God will grant you the spirit of forgiveness because if you don’t forgive, you will not heal.

“I pray that God will work in your heart, especially given the fact that some people associated with the death of your father are members of this community, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture.

“We always trust God that in spite of the injuries a few cause us, we must continue to fight for the unity of our land. God has already elevated you; you are already a statesman on the Plateau, and that will never change.

“Therefore, God will grant you a large heart to be able to carry everybody along, including those who have hurt you. I know that God will grant you that grace,” Mr Mutfwang said.

The governor, who reiterated the core values he had been 

promoting since his assumption of office, said that only unity and peace could guarantee the prosperity of the state and its people.

“For us as the people of Plateau State, we continue to pray that the spirit of our brother’s keeper will continue to engulf our hearts.

“Three things that I have always mentioned, that are my passion for Plateau, are that the peace we have been known for, may God restore it in its fullness. Secondly, that plateau will be truly united; there will be no differences because of tribe.

“The truth about it is that when we go backward and trace our origins, we are actually all members of one family.

“For the church, I want to plead with our leaders to show the way to restoring true unity in the body of Christ. That is the only way we can attain the third objective, which is prosperity, because without peace and without unity, there can be no prosperity.

“We do not deserve to be ranked among the poorest states in Nigeria, and by the grace of God, we will work assiduously to ensure that the narrative is reversed,” he said.

In his vote of thanks, Mr Dariye expressed gratitude for the solidarity and love shown by the governor to him and his family, saying he did not take it for granted. 

(NAN)