Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has faulted the decision of the Federal Government not to allow the newly formed Community Volunteer Guards (CVG) in the state and other state-sponsored security outfits to bear automatic rifles.
This is contained in a statement signed by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, and made available to newsmen on Friday.
According to the statement, Ortom spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Thursday, at the 2022 Oyo State Governance retreat with the theme: “Finishing Strong: A Legacy of Prosperity.”
He lamented that while the CVG and Amotekun in the South West were legally formed by law, but were denied the right to bear AK 47, those in Katsina State have been allowed to carry such weapons.
The governor maintained that the business of securing the lives and property of the people must be taken seriously by the government.
He stated that it was the reason his government inaugurated the Open Grazing Prohibition Law and also reactivated the State Community Volunteer Guards Law, just as it domesticated the Peace Commission into law.
While maintaining that the legacy of protecting lives and property of the people must be taken seriously, he called on the government at all levels to prioritize issues of security to ensure that the people live and carry out their businesses in atmospheres of peace.
Ortom, who had earlier flagged off the official naming of Circular Road Ibadan as Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road, also promised to use the remainder of his time in office to lay the foundation for projects that will add value to the development of the state.
He said although his administration carried out massive infrastructural development projects across the state within the past seven years, a lot still needs to be done.
