The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has been criticized for warning Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State against procuring weapons for the newly-established Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, BSCVGs.
Irabor had issued the warning following the one-month ultimatum Ortom gave the Federal Government to approve the request to arm the BSCVGs for effective operation.
Reacting, the Coalition of Southern and Middle-Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, COSMBYLA, described Irabor’s warning as careless and shameful.
The group lamented that Irabor, who is aware that the Federal Government has through the office of the National Security Adviser, granted the Katsina State government permission to procure automatic weapons for the state’s vigilantes is now vocal in warning other states who are making frantic efforts towards protecting their people from merchants of death who are bent on overwhelming even the conventional security outfits.
This was made known in a statement jointly signed Hon. Goodluck Ibem, President General, Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, (COSEYL), Terrence Kuanum, Coordinator, Forum of Middle-Belt Youth Presidents, Shittu Waheed, Coordinator, South-West Youth Leaders Forum(SWYLF) and Tito Zokumor, President, South South Youth Forum(SSYF).
The group called on General Irabor to avoid double-standard and remain professional in carrying out his job.
It said, “We demand to know if the people of Benue and other states especially in the South-West are less human than those from Katsina thereby warranting the decision of the federal government to turn down the request by some states to procure weapons while permitting Katsina state government to go ahead and arm their local security outfits.
“We also wonder why the military are yet to go in search of those wielding sophisticated weapons in Katsina state, but are threatening to go after similar outfits in other states if they bear arms.
“The Coalition of Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders commends Governors Samuel Ortom and his counterparts from the South-West for standing firm and taking legal and conventional steps towards ensuring the security of their people by creating local security outfits like the BSCVGs and Amotekun.
“We, therefore renew, our call on the federal government to grant requests for the BSCVGs and Amotekun to bear arms, especially as they work in collaboration with conventional security agencies and are likely not to abuse their powers or go beyond their scope of operation.”