The Northern State’s Governors Forum has condemned in totality the attack on the convoy of Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, describing it as a disturbing development which must be investigated thoroughly.
Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong in a statement said the attack on Governor Ortom was yet another daring attempt by criminals to cause mayhem not only in Benue State but in the nation as a whole.
While praising the security details of the governor for repelling the attack and securing the governor and members of his entourage, Lalong said relevant security agencies must carry out detailed investigation to fish out those behind the attack and their sponsors.
According to him, all hands must be on deck to tame this degeneration of security in the country that threatens the corporate existence of the nation.
Lalong said the Northern governors stand in solidarity with their colleague and the entire people of Benue State, assuring that they will continue to engage and support security agencies in their duty of securing the region and nation at large.
School Abduction: Gov. Lalong calls for re-introduction of Cadet, Boys Scout, Man ‘O’ War in secondary schools
Meanwhile, Governor Lalong has advocated for the reintroduction of Boys Scout, Cadet, Man ‘O’ War and other paramilitary outfits in secondary schools as part of measures to guide against kidnapping.
The governor who stated this during an interactive session with newsmen in Jos, said these outfits which onced served as security arms of schools had since faded out, leaving schools to be porous for incursion by undesirable elements like kidnappers.
“In those days, outfit like Boys Scout, Cadet, Man ‘O’ War among others made students to be physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight and leads to a well-balanced individual and overall fitness. It also help and groomed individuals to be a good leader and to take up challenges. In our days in secondary school, they maintain regular patrol of school premises in the night and raised alarm with their whistle whenever they noticed strange movements.
“For us here in Plateau State, we are not closing down schools, before they resume we shall effect security in all the schools, we are trying to create school awareness. I think we should go back to the basis, before we had Cadet, boys Scout, Man ‘O’ War. They were trained by security men and given basic security tips that can help them and the school whenever the need arise.
“There is the need to re-introduce this for sound awareness, with ordinary whistle you can create awareness, you can communicate with whistle. We must bring the security men to come and train our students, security is no longer one man business but everybody business,” he said.
On land grabbing, Governor Lalong said the state government has put up a sound legal frame work to handle the menace and enjoined those whose lands were grabbed and illegally occupied to report to the appropriate authority for necessary action.
“This is a big offence, we cannot tolerate land grabbing under any guise that was why I signed anti land grabbing law. But I want to say that nobody has grab any land. In some cases until you provide security those displaced are not willing to go back. We want to ensure that there is adequate security before they return so that they are not attack again. Like Kashishi, we agreed that the federal government should set up a mobile barrack.
“Anybody that occupy the land that does not belong to him we would tell him that the land doesn’t belong to him. We have the law against land grabbing. If there’s any of such case the government will handle it accordingly in line with the law in place.”
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