Benue Govt Denies Arming Livestock Guards

The Benue State government has denied the report that members of the State Livestock Guard are illegally armed.

Commander of the group and senior special assistant to the governor on special security Aliyu Tershaku faulted the report on Sunday in an interview with Channels Television in Makurdi, the state capital.

He said there was no time when the guards were armed on an assault mission against herdsmen between Benue and Taraba state boundary.

Tershaku maintained that the guards under his command bear no arms and that he was asked to lead the group in 2014 by then Deputy Inspector General of Police Operations, Mike Zoukhumou.

“This livestock guard was not formed by the Governor Samuel Ortom administration; we started as a civilian joint task force when there was a serious crisis between Fulani and Tivs between the two states (Benue and Nasarawa),” he said.

“The two governors – Tanko Al-Makura (Nasarawa) and former Gabriel Suswam (Benue) – plus the former DIG Mike Zoukhumou met with the National Miyetti Allah. They formed this organisation of the joint task force.”

The governor’s aide was shocked by allegations of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore that the state government was encouraging armed militias in Benue.

He wondered how such claims could be made when the national leadership of Miyetti Allah had delegated some Fulani youths as part of the livestock guards.

“I am very shocked and surprised when I heard that Miyetti Allah (although Kautal Hore) was saying that Ortom has armed militias. When, how?” Tershaku questioned.

“Also in this movement, there are Fulani youths. After Governor Ortom won the election, Suswam called me as the commander and handed over our movement to Governor Samuel Ortom; we have been appointed as a civilian joint task force for peace and reconciliation,” he added.