Governor Hyacinth Alia has called on the military to enhance its operations in Benue to ensure the return of peace.

Mr Alia made the call while addressing journalists after a courtesy call on the chief of defence staff, Christopher Musa, on Tuesday in Abuja.

He appreciated the troops of ‘Operation Whirl Stroke’ operating in the state for making a lot of progress in the fight against insecurity in Benue.

The governor said, “Since we came in May, the state has experienced lots and lots of relative peace, and that is the way forward for us. ‘Operation Whirl Stroke’ is at home with us, and they are in the trenches and, you know, more like Oliver Twist, we came to ask for more and present some more prayers because we want not just relative peace, we want absolute peace.

“Peace in the form that enables our IDPs to go back home to their ancestral farmlands and for everyone to sleep with two eyes closed.”

The governor hailed the military leadership under Mr Musa for the intervention and called for more efforts in Benue. He said Benue was at some point infested by bandits and killers operating in the Benue valley, leading to deaths and displacement of families and loss of farmlands.

Mr Alia urged the military to establish more forward operation bases, especially in local government areas that share the border with Cameroon.

According to him, Benue is one of the very top states with solid minerals; as such, there was a need to increase security to enable the government to derive economic benefits from the resources.

The governor promised to support the military with resources to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.

Responding, the defence chief said the military would continue to enhance its operations in Benue to properly secure it, adding that the governor’s requests for more military personnel aligned with his plan.

Mr Musa, however, said all key stakeholders must play their roles in providing security, adding that security was everybody’s responsibility. He said the issue of the discovery of mineral resources in the state and its attraction to bandits and other criminal elements was being looked into.

“We want to assure you that we will take these things into consideration in our deployment, and we are going to enhance our capabilities going forward. We want Benue and the rest of Nigeria to be peaceful, we want every Nigerian to enjoy being in Nigeria, and we want the internally displaced persons’ camps closed.

“We want farmers to be able to go back to their farms, and communities should be able to go back to their communities so that they can live well. These are the efforts and the task we have ahead of us, and we assure Nigerians that they can rely and trust that the armed forces of Nigeria is here for them,” said the defence chief.

(NAN)