From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
New Benue State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has vowed to get rid of criminal elements and their hideout in the state.
Owoseni who said this yesterday during his maiden press briefing held at the Police Headquarters, Makurdi, stressed that focus would be community policing as well as intelligence gathering.
The CP urged stakeholders in the state including, community leaders, Journalists and other critical stakeholders to contribute their quota as good citizens to the security of their communities by providing the police with needed and timely information.
He maintained that there was no magic the police perform without the support and cooperation of members of the public
While confirming that one person was killed along the border of Guma Local Government area of Benue and Nasarawa States on Monday by suspected gunmen, Owoseni disclosed that the deceased was one of the officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) who were on an official assignment in the area, adding that details of the attack are still sketchy.
He said: ‘’I am aware of the security challenges facing the state ranging from herdsmen attack to communual clashes. Therefore, we have embarked on peace building in communities to rid the state of crisis’’.
He also, emphasized the need for trust between the Police, Journalists and Benue community so as to curb incessant killings and other crimes in the state.
He explained that the command is yet to find one police officer who got missing when a police patrol van was attacked in Guma LG in addition to two policemen that were killed recently in Ukum Local Government Area of the state.
