GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged the Federal Government to grant licences to responsible citizens to carry sophisticated weapons such as AK47 to deter criminals from attacking innocent and helpless Nigerians.
Ortom said the policy should be backed by a strict legal framework to prevent illegal possession of arms by the citizenry without exception.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Terver Akase, disclosed the position of his boss in a statement on Wednesday, titled, “National Security: Gov Ortom Proposes The Way Forward”.
According to him, Governor Ortom presented his views during a virtual meeting convened by the Centre for Values in Leadership, in collaboration with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The statement said, “In the paper titled, ‘Insecurity and Governance Challenges in the New Normal’, the Governor said governments at all levels must come to terms with the fact that insecurity is a real threat to development of the country and be willing to sincerely tackle the menace.
“He also recommended adequate funding of security agencies and continuous training of their personnel to enable them be abreast of global dynamics in the fight against insecurity.”
The CPS said the Governor urged the Federal Government to embrace ranching as it was the global best practice of animal husbandry, adding that it should enact a law to end open grazing, which often came with attacks on farming communities by armed herdsmen militia.
He said, “Governor Ortom also advocated improved educational standards and enhanced public enlightenment campaigns to give the people, particularly youths, the needed orientation to shun negative acts and become more patriotic.
“He called for the repositioning of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency through training, funding and logistics to successfully confront drug barons and peddlers; a move he said would stop illegal drugs from entering and circulating in the country.”
He added7, “Governor Ortom also recommended that the embargo on employment be lifted and more job opportunities created to take Nigerian youths from the streets. He tasked the federal, state and local governments to show greater commitment to developing the agricultural value chain to generate more jobs for Nigerians.
“Governor Ortom concluded his presentation by stating that Benue State has made significant contributions to national development and as the food basket of the nation, if the state is threatened by insecurity, the negative impact would be on the entire country.”
