The Benue State Security Council has approved the establishment of a Bureau of Homeland Security that will coordinate and liaise with the office of the Governor and security agencies in the State for prompt responses to security threats.
Governor Hyacinth Alia disclosed this recently in Makurdi after a joint security meeting.
Governor Alia who was represented by his deputy Sam Ode said the Security Council had would be headed by a Director General, appointed by the Governor.
Speaking on the recent attacks in Ukum local government area, Ode explained that the Security Council directed that the curfew in the entire Sankera area of the state should continue, further placing a ban on protest in the entire axis until further notice.
A statement by the chief press secretary to the Benue State Governor Tersoo Kula, explained that the Council also agreed on the setting up of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry that will look into the destruction of government and private properties in Ukum, as a result of the protest in the area.
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“They equally frowned at the increasing number of illegal checkpoints in the state, urging all security agencies in the state to work together in synergy, so as to effectively combat crimes in Benue.
“While also insisting that the Benue State law against Matching Ground is still effective and operational and will soon be gazzetted and made available to the public, the Security Council also directed the Special Adviser on security to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, to organize a workshop and sensitize the people on the dangers of illicit drugs and human trafficking in the state,” the statement added.
The statement continued that “On the request for the allocation of plots of land to Federal Agencies to erect structures, the Benue State Security Council said extensive consultations should be carried out on the matter in order to ensure a fair treatment on all concerned.
“Relatedly, the Zonal Commander, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Makurdi Zonal Office, Gloria Iveren Bai, has said the Benue girls that were trafficked to Ivory Coast have been brought back home and are currently in rehabilitation.
“According to her, the lady who took them to Ivory Coast in the guise of getting a job for them, has been arrested and will soon be charged to court.
She commended the efforts of the Benue State government for ensuring the girls’ return back to the state, advising parents, guardians and job seekers to always be on the watch out, in order to safeguard against issues of trafficking.
