Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has criticised the federal government's decision to forbid the state's newly formed Community Volunteer Guards and other state-sponsored security organisations from carrying automatic guns.
This was said in a statement made available to journalists on Friday and signed by Governor Ortom's Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur.
Ortom bemoaned the fact that while the Community Volunteer Guards and Amotekun in the South West were legally formed by law but were denied the right to bear AK 47s, those in Katsina State have been permitted to do so. Ortom spoke in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the 2022 Oyo State Governance retreat with the theme: "Finishing Strong: A Legacy of Prosperity."
He noted that the business of securing the lives and property of the people must be taken seriously by government saying it was the reason why his government inaugurated the Open Grazing Prohibition Law, reactivated the State Community Volunteer Guards Law and domesticated the Peace Commission into law.
He also maintained that the legacy of protecting lives and property of the people must be taken seriously and 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.
Governor Ortom, had earlier flagged off the official naming of Circular Road Ibadan as Senator Rashidi Ladoja Circular Road with a promise to use the remaining time he has in office to lay the foundation for projects that will develop and add value to the state.
The Governor stated that although his administration carried out massive infrastructural development projects across the state within the past seven years, he emphasised that a lot still needs to be done.
He noted that although he may not be able to complete the projects due to lack of time and paucity of funds and expressed the hope that his successor (by God’s grace), Engineer Titus Uba, would complete the projects.
He charged the people of Oyo state, especially traditional and religious leaders, to always pray and support those saddled with the responsibility of governance to enable them get it right for the people to enjoy.