Lawmaker representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor, has charged communities in Benue State to stand up against persistent attacks by armed groups.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, Ugbor backed recent comments by the Director General of the Department of State Services, who urged communities across Nigeria to set up self-defence systems.
The lawmaker noted that while previous administrations in the state had made attempts at creating security outfits, including under former governor Samuel Ortom, the present structures have not yielded desired results.
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Ugbor explained the limitations of the conventional security forces in the state, despite their physical presence.
He said: “The DG of the DSS publicly said communities will have to come up with self-defence mechanisms.
“Communities will have to defend themselves. Communities will have to come up with vigilantes and other systems where you can protect your communities. This is what Benue needs to do.
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“Benue has had several attempts to set up state security apparatus. The former governor, Ortom, did that with the anti-open grazing law.
“Then this government came in and set up their own security, the volunteer guards called Anyam Uyor. Unfortunately, we’ve not seen much of the impact of Anyam Uyor in Benue.
“I interact with them at the grassroots level and I know their mindset. They’re not there to open fire on any group of people.
“They’re not there to go all out and open fire on Fulani or open fire on the Chi people or any other tribe in Benue. They’re there to maintain the peace.
“When these people come and attack, they attack and they retreat. The security presence is not there. It doesn’t have the mandate to pursue them across the state.”
