From Teryima Ajijah, Jos
Some persons who said they regretted participating in the looting of palliatives, stored at government reserve warehouses in Plateau State have returned the looted foodstuffs to government.
The repentant looters were led to the new Government House, Rayfield, Jos by popular evangelist of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, and returned the items.
The clergy explained that the persons made the confession during a prayer revival, organized at the Zang Secondary School, Bukuru, Jos South local government held at the weekend.
According to Rev Dachomo, the said persons repented from looting of the items during the revival programme, and have returned the items in their possession.
The clergy said over 2000 people came forward after hearing the sermon where he preached against the recent looting and vandalism which affected public and private properties in the state.
This action, according to him is not just an invitation of the anger of God against the suspects but the entire State.
He said the hijack of the EnfSARS protest is a plan of the devil to scuttle the will of God for Plateau State which cannot be left without intercession.
Touched by the message, some of the persons involved in the looting repented and decided to bring some of the items still in their possession as a mark of restitution and plea for mercy from God and the government of Plateau State.
Rev. Dachomo appealed to the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong to temper justice with mercy, by granting forgiveness to the repentant persons who voluntarily returned the items.
Receiving the items on behalf of government of Plateau state, Secretary to the Government of the State, SGS Prof. Danladi Abok Atu commended Rev. Dachomo for appealing to the conscience of the affected persons who came forward to ask for forgiveness.
He said the action of the looters was a great disservice to the State as not only food items were looted, but heavy machinery, public infrastructure and businesses worth billions of naira were stolen and also destroyed.
He advised the youths of Plateau State to be wary of listening to incitement by people who are not even from the state, but come into the state purposely to orchestrate the destruction after which they disappear to their places of origin as it happened during the EndSARS protest.
Prof. Atu promised to forward the plea of the repentant persons to the governor for further consideration.
Most of the items returned were food provisions looted from various warehouses.
Meanwhile, the 307 suspects whom were arrested by security agents during the looting were later prosecuted in seven courts sitting in Bassa Local Government Area each of the suspects, including a 14-year-old minor, paid a fine of 10,000 naira.
Plateau state government had after visiting scene of the incidents said that preliminary report indicate that items looted and property destroyed by the looters worth the sum of 75 billion naira.
