As the security challenges in parts of Benue State continue unabated with attendant loss of lives and properties, youth under the aegies of Edumoga Youth Association (EYA), have concluded plans to convey an expanded security summit in order to fashion ways with a view to minimising the situation.
The Edumoga Youth Association, made up of over 250 communities in Edumoga district of Okpokwu local government area of the state said the continue rise in the cases of kidnapping, Farmer/Herders clash, cultism among youths and other form of criminalities must be addressed to put a stop to the blood bath, hence the need for an urgent need for expanded security summit to chat a way forward.
According to the National President of the association, Alhaji Lucky Itodo, who spoke to our correspondent in an interview on the motive behind the security summit, pointed out that the people of these communities who are predominantly farmers have lost their peace due to the myriads of security challenges bedeviling the areas.
He said insecurity has continue to rear its ugly heads in these communities due to a number of factors, including non-presence of security personnel in the area and the large ungoverned space, stressing that the over 250 communities under Edumoga district with an estimated population of 900, 000 inhabitants, and predominantly farmers have lived without security presence since the existence of these communities.
Itodo however lamented that the closest police station to these communities is the Divisional Police Station in Okpoga, the headquarters of the local government, about 100 kilometers “and this has exposed the people to a number of security challenges, including farmers/Herders clashes, kidnapping, armed robbery and very lately cultism”.
The EYA President disclosed that since the creation of Benue State in 1976, these communities have existed without security presence and have relied on self-help efforts through voluntary security services provided by the local vigilantes in the areas and this he said has made lives meaningless to the people, pointing out that “this is high time we come together as a people to chat a cause and take our destiny by our hands to proffer solution.
“All we are trying to do is to come up with a comprehensive plan towards addressing this situation and see how we can complement the efforts of the government so as to bring security closer to the people. We have conceived the idea of building a police station and donate it the Nigerian Police in order to make it presence felt in the areas.
“It is unfortunate that about 250 communities with an estimated population of 900,000 people cannot boast of a police station or any security presence despite the rising security challenges all over the country today, especially kidnapping.
These communities are under siege from all forms of security challenges, including armed robbery because every market day people are being robbed at gun point while returning from the markets.
“As a people, we have made several appeals to the government both at the local, state and even federal level on the need to have security presence in these areas but this has not yielded any result and that is why the Youths from these communities both at home and in diaspora under the umbrella of Edumoga Youth Association decided they come together to chat a way forward and offer some helps for the good of all of us.
“We all know that security is very important to the development and survival of any society and that is why we can no longer wait for the government to do it for us, it is everybody’s business”, he added.
The president disclosed that cultism has claimed the lives of many innocent youths in recent time while hundreds of people have been kidnapped and ransom worth millions of naira paid by families to secure the release of their loved ones, stressing that the situation could have been minimized if there was security presence in the area.
“It usually takes hours for the security agents stationed at the local government headquarters to respond to distress calls from these communities due to the distance but with a police station around these communities, it will help in bringing some level of sanity and that is our prayers”, he submitted.
“We have decided to come up with the idea to build a police station to be donated to the Nigerian Police Force and will be situated at Ojapo which is central to these communities. This, we believe will go a long way to minimize the current disturbing security challenges in our communities”.
He disclosed that the summit with the theme; “security threat, mitigating and awareness creation” is expected to climaxed with the former inauguration of the Edumoga Youth Association, by the Chairman of Okpokwu local government area, Hon. Adah Matthew Inalegwu and is slated for between 27th and 28th of December
The National President stated that the summit will attract all sons and daughters from the entire Edumoga Communities, including both elected and appointed political leaders from the area, and will be chaired by the Senate Minority Leader and senator representing Benue South senatorial district, in the National Assembly Abuja Senator Abba Moro.
