Benue State Government on Monday said it will pursue criminal prosecutions against individuals responsible for recent damage to public utilities and advertising billboards, and has formed a task force to protect state property and assist security agencies in investigations.
Governor Hyacinth Alia and his administration have vowed that the incidents represented deliberate attacks by “criminal and retrogressive elements” intent on undermining the government’s development efforts and will not be tolerated.
“Anyone found culpable of these acts of vandalism, under whatever guise or pretext, will be dealt with decisively and will face the full weight of the law,” the state’s Commissioner for Information Solomon Iorpev, said in a statement.
The newly constituted task force will monitor public installations, coordinate with security services to identify and detain suspects, and support prosecutions, the statement said.
According to Iorpev, there would be “no sacred cows and no exceptions” in the enforcement effort.
The government said it remained committed to protecting public and private investments that it said would drive growth in the state, and urged citizens and businesses to report suspicious activity around public infrastructure to security agencies or the task force.
“The full machinery of government will be deployed to clamp down on such elements,” the statement said, warning that offenders will be prosecuted “without fear or favour.”
