The Nigerian Police has disputed claims that the ranch guards who were inaugurated by the state government were unarmed, insisting that the police have evidence to the contrary.
Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, while speaking Thursday on Channels Television, also countered claims by Governor Samuel Ortom that armed militia groups did not exist in the State.
“Yes, they were armed with AK-47 (riffles); we have records, we have footage and you can’t just start arming people,” he said.
“There are a lot of militia groups equally in Benue and we are looking at all those areas to ensure that the actual perpetrators of this mayhem are promptly arrested.
“People who are supposed to ensure that when they observe (you say you have a guard) and report back to the police that would probably do the appropriate thing; if such a guard is armed with AK-47 rifle, how do you control that, how do you prevent such AK-47 (riffle) from going into wrong hands?” Moshood questioned, while reacting to the ranch guard set-up by the state government to enforce the anti-open grazing law.
The Force spokesman noted that it was unlawful for any person to be in possession of arm without the consent of the Federal Government.
He added that the said ranch guards were meant to take note of any suspicious activity and report to the police, stressing that investigations had revealed that they were carrying prohibited weapons.
On Ortom’s claims, Moshood said: “Yes, I’m disputing that because we have evidence that they were armed with AK-47 rifles.”
“It is equally important for people to know that we are investigating that, we must know the source of these AK-47 rifles.
“Any organisation that you are setting up before you can carry firearms must be approved by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and it shouldn’t be a prohibited firearm.
“When you don’t draw the police into this and you arm people, you turn them into militias because you don’t control what they do with these firearms,” he added.
The Force spokesman, however, said the police have been supporting the Benue State government in terms of implementing the law on prohibition of open-grazing in the state.
According to him, the police have a responsibility to support any law made at all levels of government, as well as the ones made by the leadership of any community towards keeping the peace in the society.
Moshood said, “Even when you look at the international law, it’s like picking a cutlass and cutting a footpath and everybody is compelled to pass the footpath; so if that is the norms of the people, we should enforce it for them.”
