Terwase Akwaza (c. 1970s – 8 September 2020) also known as Gana (sometimes spelt Ghana) was a most wanted criminal and head of a militia in Benue State, Nigeria, whose activities peaked between 2015 and 2020.
[3][4] He terrorized the Sankera geopolitical axis comprising Katsina Ala, Ukum, and Logo local governments' area, for more than a decade.
[6] Terwase, literally meaning 'God help,' was born a native of Gbishe, Kpav District, Katsina-Ala local government area of Benue State.
[8] He began his life of crime between the ages of 10 and 12 stealing poultry products from his neighborhood, which he concealed inside the popular Nigerian Ghana Must Go bag.
Some believe that after his contributions to several victories, witch doctors from his village decided to fortify him with fetish powers that protected him against weapons and bullets and enabled him to disappear.
His company, Ghatertex Nigeria Limited was also awarded a contract for the collection of Produce Tax for which he remitted 10 million naira monthly to the state government and retained the rest as running cost and settlement of his boys.
The state government withdrew the amnesty granted him and terminated his appointment as the chairman of the Joint Task Force on Revenue Collection and the contract awarded to his company, Ghatertex.
In a manhunt that lasted for four years, covert operations as well as air and ground raids by the Nigeria police and military in a bid to smoke out and arrest or kill him failed.
As economic activities in the geopolitical axis were grounded, prominent indigenes, politicians, religious and traditional leaders requested and got acceptance for a second amnesty from the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on 4 September 2020, during a project commissioning and inspection of the area.
[11] Gana and some of his boys turned up for the amnesty at the Emmanuel Akume Atongo Stadium in Katsina-Ala in full public glare to embrace the program.
While in hiding, Gana granted audience to Charles Eruka, a reporter with Channels TV, and also wrote a letter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
He accused the late Igbana of masterminding kidnappings in the state, citing two incidences: one in Gboko and another, the wife of a prominent Igbo businessman in Makurdi, popularly known as Officon.
He alleged that the ransom of Officon’s wife was paid to the late Igbana, in which a dispute arose in the sharing formula between Denen and his boys.
[13][16] In a letter to the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission dated 30 June 2016, Gana restated the allegations.
[3] He also accused the Special Adviser to the Benue State governor on Security, Edwin Jando, a retired colonel of the Nigerian Army of gunrunning and a source of his ammunition.