Before the end of May 2024, the state administration of Benue State, according to Governor Hyacinth Alia, plans to establish a local security force of its own.
The governor made this announcement on Tuesday during the All Progressives Congress, or APC, stakeholders’ meeting in Makurdi. He said that the action was taken to support other security agencies’ efforts in addressing the state’s ongoing security issues.
Governor Alia disclosed that his administration is currently pursuing the acquisition of Hilux vans and motorcycles to facilitate the security team’s penetration into the state’s most remote areas.
The governor praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the security services for their efforts in keeping the nation safe, especially Benue state.
He claims that the establishment of the state-owned security force will help to secure Benue villages so that farmers can retake their varied agricultural holdings.
The state has documented several attacks by alleged Fulani herders over the years.
Approximately three million native people have been forcibly removed from their ancestral homes throughout the state and are now living in camps for internally displaced people, or IDPs.