…Set up joint military-police patrol team

By Peter Duru

MAKURDI—Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, and his Taraba counterpart, Darius Ishaku, have announced the setting up of a joint Military-Police patrol team from the two states to intensify security surveillance and stem the unending crisis at their borders.

Fulani-herdsman

Both governors also agreed to establish  a joint Benue-Taraba Peace Committee to monitor potential threats to peace in the affected areas.

These were part of resolutions reached at the end of the joint Benue-Taraba security meeting held yesterday in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

The decisions of the governors, which were read by Samuel Ortom, included the creation of ranches in designated areas as a long term measure to reduce conflict between farmers and herdsmen in both states in order to encourage peaceful co-existence among the two groups.

“We also agreed to establish agro-allied Industries to absorb the teeming youths of the States so as to discourage idleness. We have also urged the traditional rulers in both states to create a platform of interaction to enhance peaceful co-existence in their domain.

“Besides, we also urged individuals or communities that have found themselves in both states to submit themselves to the authorities and respect the rules and tenets states in addition to providing relief materials to internally displaced persons as an interim measure at cushioning their hardship,” Governor Ortom added.

The meeting was attended by traditional rulers and militia leaders from both states.