By George Okoh
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday warned the Fulani socio-cultural group, Miyetti Allah, not to establish any form of vigilante in the state.
The governor, who was reacting to a statement credited to the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, in which the group announced that it has established its security outfit called ‘Miyetti Allah Vigilante’ to operate nationwide, said: “As much as the state does not have any problem with the group floating a security outfit in other states, it is important to say that such vigilance group will not operate in Benue State.”
He said Miyetti Allah has no constitutional right to establish a nationwide security outfit.
According to Ortom, “Benue State does not need the Miyetti Allah vigilante, since the state government is working with conventional security forces and has already established a vigilance group at the state, local government and ward levels. This is evident in the ongoing recruitment of personnel for community policing, who will soon be trained as recommended by the Inspector General of Police (IG).”
The governor added that the idea of running a nationwide vigilance group is a mere strategy by the Fulani socio-cultural organisation to elevate their nefarious and inhuman activities to another level.
“They have repeatedly claimed responsibility for the killing of thousands of children, women and other vulnerable people in different states; yet, members of the group walk freely in Abuja and hold press conferences threatening to unleash terror on the people of this country,” he said.
He reiterated the call for the arrest and prosecution of members of the group to end the spate of crime in the country.
Ortom urged the federal government to stop looking elsewhere for bandits who have been killing innocent Nigerians, alleging that Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore members are coordinators of banditry in the country, and officials of the group reside in Abuja.
