In order to facilitate prompt responses to security issues in Benue State, the establishment of a Bureau of Homeland Security has been approved by the state’s security council. This bureau would act as a liaison and coordinator between the state’s security agencies and the governor’s office.
This was said by Governor Hyacinth Alia on Thursday following a joint security meeting at the Makurdi, Benue State Government House.
The governor who was represented by the his deputy, Barrister Sam Ode, stated that the Security Council had decided that the Bureau should be led by a governor-appointed Director General while speaking on behalf of the Governor.
The Security Council issued an order maintaining the curfew throughout the state’s Sankera region and prohibiting protests along the entire axis until further notice.
The governor claims that the Council also decided that the government should establish a judicial panel of inquiry to investigate the destruction of public and private property in Ukum as a result of the recent protests there.
He expressed disapproval at the growing quantity of illicit checkpoints within the state and urged all security agencies to collaborate in order to effectively tackle criminal activity in Benue.
According to Governor Alia, the Benue State law prohibiting matching grounds is still in place, operational, and soon to be gazetted and made public.
He gave the Special Advisor on Security instructions to conduct a workshop and raise public awareness of the risks associated with illegal drug use and human trafficking in the state in conjunction with the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.