Governor Samuel Ortom says he would revert to Benue people for the next line of action if the Buhari regime fails to respond to his application for the state’s local security output to bear assorted weapons.

The local security outfit, Community Volunteer Guards, was launched by Mr Ortom in August 2022, to combat bandits pillaging communities in the North-Central state.

Speaking on Thursday in Makurdi, the governor revealed that he had in August written the Buhari’s regime by applying for a licence for the security outfit to bear AK-47 rifles. 

He expressed displeasure that the application, which was meant to further strengthen the combat ability was yet to be granted.

“I am still waiting for approval from the Federal Government despite the fact that I have done this application three months ago, and no single reply has been given to me,” Mr Ortom said at the passing out parade of batch B of the Community Volunteer Guards held in Makurdi. 

The governor said, “I have a responsibility to the state government and the people of Benue State. If in the next month, there is no reply, I will revert to the people of Benue State, and seek your opinion. Whatever you tell me is what I am going to do.”

Benue, a largely agrarian state, has been under persistent deadly attacks allegedly perpetrated by marauding herdsmen. 

The situation has heightened insecurity with continuous clashes between nomadic herdsmen and farming communities in the state. 

In April 2022, at least fifteen persons were murdered in an overnight raid on Tior-Tyu, a rural community in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue while the bloody attack was blamed on Fulani herdsmen. 

Expressing worries over the daunting security situation in the country, Mr Ortom revealed that over 120 security operatives have been killed by terrorists in different parts of Benue. 

He disclosed that the formation of the local security outfit was to complement the efforts by the Nigeria Police and other sister security agencies in curbing incessant crimes especially killings of innocent Benue people. 

He maintained that he has the responsibility as the Chief Security Officer of the state to protect the people of Benue in face of the security challenges bedeviling the locals. 

According to the governor, he decided to approach the Buhari regime to get approval to procure assault rifles to stamp out daring bandits. 

The rising insecurity in the country had forced some state governments to establish regional security outfits in their domains to tackle the incessant attacks by herdsmen, banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping for ransom by the rampaging hoodlums.

For instance, in the South-West, the governors of Ondo, Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, and Ogun formed the Western Security Network Agency otherwise known as ‘Amotekun’ in 2020 while the five South-East governors also took the bull by the horn and established ‘Ebubeagu’ in 2021 to complement efforts by conventional security agencies.

The state governors had been asking the federal government to give the regional security outfits the licence to allow their operatives to bear assorted weapons. 

Recently, Ondo governor Rotimi Akeredolu tackled Buhari’s regime for allowing the local security outfit in Katsina to carry sophisticated weapons while denying Amotekun Corps such privileges. 

A spokesman for the presidency Garba Shehu denied that the northern security outfit was granted such a waiver, noting that no state has been issued such a right to procure assault rifles.