Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has condemned the decision of the Federal Government (FG) not to allow the State Community Volunteer Guards and security outfits in other states from bearing arms.
Governor Ortom also promised to use the remaining part of his administration to lay the foundation for projects that will add value to the development of Benue state.
The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Ortom, Nathaniel Ikyur, disclosed this in an issued statement in Makurdi, on Friday. According to the statement, Governor Ortom made this known in his remarks at the 2022 Oyo State Governance retreat, with the theme: “Finishing Strong: A Legacy of Prosperity”,in Ibadan.
The governor, who stated that the decision by the FG not to allow state security outfits legally established by the government in other States not to carry weapons, decried the situation where the FG has allowed those in Katsina State, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, to bear arms.
According to Ortom, “The business of securing the lives and property of the people must be taken seriously by the Government. The legacy of protecting lives and property of the people must be taken seriously and I call on Government at all levels to prioritise issues of security to ensure that the people live and carry out their businesses in atmospheres of peace.”
He further explained that it was the reason why his government inaugurated the Open Grazing Prohibition Law; reactivated the State Community Volunteer Guards Law and also domesticated the Peace Commission into law.
Governor Ortom also promised to use the remaining part of his time in office to lay the foundation for projects that would add value to the development of Benue state. He observed that although his administration carried out massive infrastructural development projects across the state within the past seven years, he stressed that a lot still needs to be done.
He, therefore, charged the people of Oyo State, especially traditional and religious leaders, to always pray and support those saddled with the responsibility of governance so that they can get it right for the people to enjoy.
