By Ijeoma Obioma
The Police in Benue State have called on law abiding citizens of the state not to panic over the massive presence of its operatives in Makurdi, the state capital.
Spokesperson for the Command, SP Catherine Anene, who made this known on Tuesday in a statement, noted that the visibility of the police on the streets of Makurdi was meant to deter only trouble makers.
“The presence of police officers across Makurdi today (Monday) is not to scare citizens but to assure them of police presence and warn any hoodlum who intend to cause breach of peace in the name of protest,” she stated.
Anene added the need for law abiding citizens to go about their normal routine without any fear as security has been put in place to ensure orderliness.
Earlier, Governor Hyacinth Alia had called on unions, groups and individuals intending to join the August 1st, 2024 planned protest across the country to shelve the idea and instead bring forth their demands for government to look into them.
Alia made the call when he spoke to journalists on Sunday shortly after Mass at the Chapel of Grace in Government House, Makurdi.
The governor said Benue residents would not be participating on the August 1st, 2024 muted as the planned date for demonstration by an alleged unidentified groups across the country who are citing hardship and bad governance as the reason for their protest.
He said it was imperative for the planned protest to be shelved in the state considering the fragile security in Sankera axis which consists of three local government areas of Ukum, Logo and Kastina-Ala, adding that even in the country, protesters should shun the idea, especially as the present government is trying its best to put smiles on the faces of the people.
Alia commended the State Commissioner of Police, CP Hassan Steve Yabanet, as well as the Department of State Services (DSS), for inviting some union leaders and groups for a round table discussion, dissuading them and their members from joining the protest, especially as the government has uncovered plans by some individuals to infiltrate the protest, causing destructions.
