Defend Benue People, Ortom Charges Volunteer Guards

The Benue State governor, Dr Samuel Ortom, Sunday, charged the second batch of trainees of the state Community Volunteer Guards to protect communities of the state from external invaders.

Ortom gave the charge when he visited the training camp of the guards at the military shooting range, near Ikpayongo, Gwer East Local Government Area.

Governor Ortom was accompanied by the senator representing Benue North-East Senatorial District, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and other top government officials.

He commended them for exhibiting a high level of enthusiasm and commitment which he noted ‘shows their readiness to defend and protect Benue communities against invasion’.

He charged the trainees not to use their training and weapons to ‘engage in criminal acts, warning that ‘anyone who does so would be prosecuted’.

He told the trainees that their recruitment, training and eventual inauguration were properly backed by a law that was enacted by previous administrations, stating that the Benue State government, under his leadership, only amended the law to make it more effective in line with present challenges.

Governor Ortom said due to the rising insecurity in the country, the nineteen northern hovernors recently met and resolved to advocate for the establishment of state police. He once it was approved, the Volunteer Guards would be the first to be recruited in Benue State.

Senator Suswam enjoined the volunteers to abide by their rules of engagement, saying their good conduct was important to convince people that seem to have misgivings about the establishment of the security formation.

He lauded Governor Ortom for setting up a security outfit to complement the efforts of conventional security agencies to protect the lives and property of Benue people.