By EMMANUEL ANTSWEN

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, on Thursday announced a special 14-day security operation to flush out criminal elements from identified flashpoints across Benue.

Disu made the declaration during a town hall meeting on security in Makurdi, attended by Gov. Hyacinth Alia, the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, religious leaders, traditional rulers, security chiefs and other stakeholders.

The IGP described the security situation in Benue as a source of “sleepless nights” for both residents and security agencies.

He decried that the state, once renowned for peace and hospitality, had become engulfed by violence.

According to him, the crisis has evolved beyond farmer-herder clashes, with kidnappers, armed gangs and political interests aggravating the insecurity.

Disu urged youths not to allow themselves to be recruited by influential individuals to perpetrate violence, particularly during elections.

“The youth are usually not the ones who start wars, but they are the ones who fight them. Parents must caution their children against being used as cannon fodder,” he said.

IGP condemned the cycle of attacks and reprisals across the state, saying it must come to an end.

He conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that insecurity in Benue would no longer be tolerated and warned that only authorised security personnel were permitted to bear arms.

The police chief vowed to intensify efforts to recover illegal firearms and said officers had been directed to act decisively in line with Force Order 237 whenever confronted by armed criminals.

He acknowledged concerns over police misconduct, admitting the force was not perfect but assuring residents that every complaint against officers would be investigated and appropriate action taken.

Disu directed the Benue Commissioner of Police to publicly display his contact details to encourage residents to report crimes and police misconduct, stressing that policing could only succeed through community partnership.

“The Nigerian police belong to the people. We are here to serve you, not to be your masters,” he said.

The Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of police in charge of mobile police, Francis Iduh, disclosed that the force had identified 14 major security flashpoints across Benue for targeted operations.

He listed the vulnerable areas to include Gbajimba, Agasha, Kwande, Agatu, Naka, Otukpo, Makurdi, Apa and other communities mapped for intensive surveillance.

Iduh said the planned 14-day operation would involve stability and clearance patrols aimed at reclaiming forests, farmlands and criminal hideouts.

He explained that the exercise would target armed herders, bandits and other criminal elements without victimising innocent residents.

“If communities partner with us and provide credible intelligence, we will deal with criminals without criminalising law-abiding citizens,” he said.

Gov. Hyacinth Alia welcomed the IGP’s visit, describing it as timely and a demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing insecurity in Benue.

He noted that attacks on farming communities had claimed lives, displaced residents and threatened food security in Benue and across Nigeria.

The governor said his administration had continued to support security agencies with operational vehicles, motorcycles, communication equipment and other logistics, while pledging full backing for the proposed security operation.

Alia reiterated his support for state police, arguing that officers familiar with the local terrain and communities would be better equipped to tackle insecurity.

“It is no longer a question of whether we need state police. The issue now is how it should operate because we urgently need it,” he said.

The Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ayatse, welcomed the IGP’s intervention, saying Benue’s security challenges had become more complex than in the past.

He identified armed criminal herders allegedly operating from neighbouring Nasarawa State, indigenous armed gangs involved in kidnappings and robberies, communal disputes and urban cult groups as the major threats confronting the state.

Ayatse said many communities had been displaced while numerous victims were living outside formal Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

The Chairman of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in Benue, Alhaji Garba Baba, said Muslims in the state had no conflict with any group and pledged support for Gov. Alia’s peace initiatives.

Similarly, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Benue, Rev. Jonathan Terwase Ugbede, commended President Tinubu, the First Lady and the IGP for responding to the state’s security concerns.

He urged the police to respond promptly to threats circulated on social media before attacks occur and recommended regular engagement with traditional rulers, youths, religious leaders and community groups to improve intelligence gathering.

Stakeholders at the meeting agreed that insecurity in Benue had become multifaceted, involving armed herders, kidnappers, cultists, criminal gangs and alleged political interests.

They stressed that security agencies alone could not resolve the crisis without sustained community cooperation and pledged to work collectively towards restoring lasting peace across the state. (NAN)

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