Benue: Ado Council Boss, Stakeholders Visit Security Chief, Urges collaboration to combat Cattle Rustling, Kidnapping, Banditry

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

The Chairman of Ado Local Government Area, Engr. Sunny Oche and stakeholders from the area, have called for an synergy between his council and the state’s security outfit, the Civil Protection Guards (CPG), to address the evolving security issues in the area.

Oche made this appeal when he led the leadership of Ezza Ezekuna People’s Patriotic Congress (EEPPC), a prominent socio-cultural organization in the local government, to pay a courtesy visit on the Special Adviser to the Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, PSP, I his office on Friday.

He said the aim of the visit was to appreciate the efforts of the CPG in keeping peace in Ado and sue for more synergy to address the evolving insecurity cases in the area.

Oche said the security issue were thwarting his efforts in emulating the development initiatives of his principal, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia despite his unwavering commitment to eradicating insecurity in his local government.

He said his strategic synergy with the local security architecture, particularly the CPG, whose numerical strength and availability have been instrumental, has bolstered the morale of security personnel, thereby enhancing their effectiveness in ensuring a safer Ado Local Government.

The Chairman expressed satisfaction with the manner in which the CPG handled the recent kidnapping incident and other crimes in the local government area.

He noted that nine Catholic Church worshippers were abducted by bandits who infiltrated from neighbouring states to perpetrate evil acts against the citizens of Ado. He appreciated the CPG for their diligent efforts which he said aided the rescue the nine abducted persons unharmed and without payment of ransom.

He further expressed gratitude to the Ezza Ezekuna People’s Patriotic Congress for their support to security efforts in the locality, specifically noting that the group recently donated two combat motorcycles to the CPG to enhance mobility.

He called for increased collaboration to combat insecurity, which has evolved to include rustling of cattle of the local farmers, kidnapping, and banditry.

In his response, the Security Adviser, Chief Joseph Har commended the CPG personnel in the local government for their commendable performance.

He acknowledged that as a local government bordering Ebonyi and Kogi states, the operational dynamics of criminals are likely to shift, necessitating constant training and retraining of the security personnel to march their new modus operandi.

He also emphasized the need to recruit more personnel as the current number is inadequate for a terrain like Ado LG.

Har appreciated the efforts of the Ezza Ezekuna People’s Patriotic Congress and encouraged them and others to continue supporting security initiatives, emphasizing that security is a collective responsibility and should not be left for the government alone. He assured that once modalities are finalized, the training team conduct further training for the personnel.