By Citizenship Daily
The Benue State Government in a bid to fight criminality, has engaged the services of Ex – servicemen and women from the military, Police and the Civil Defence Corps into the Benue State Civil Protection Guard, BSCPG.
The Special Adviser to Benue State Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, disclosed this to newsmen after a workshop with the veterans, senior officers and operatives of the Benue state Civil Protection Guard at the State command headquarters in Makurdi, the state capital.
Chief Har said that the move is aimed at strengthening the command structure, instil discipline and professionalism to enable the operatives discharge their mandate across the command both at the zonal and local government levels.
The Security Adviser also explained that the Benue state government collapsed the State Community Volunteer Guards and the State Livestock Guard into one entity called Benue State Civil Protection Guard BSCPG, which is now in – charge of internal security of the state as “first responder”.
According to him, “what is happening here today is a mini workshop between the existing commanders of the former Volunteer Guards and Benue state Livestock Guards, which has metamorphosed into the “CPG commanders” at local government and zonal levels.”
” We also have co-opted some retired veterans of the military, police and paramilitary to be called commanders of the CPG, the essence is for them to instill that discipline they acquired over years into the CPG, because operatives of the Civil Protection Guard CPG are not formally trained as the training they received is minimal but they require more experience from these veterans and support both in tactics and professionalism to become a formidable force.
Chief Har allayed the fears of existing commanders that no one will be removed but will serve as operational commanders under the veterans who will superintend them, to guide them properly on how to do things on ethics, conducts among others as well as basic principles of human rights, drugs and trafficking.
He further noted that CPG QRS an acronym for Civil Protection Guard Quick Rapid Squad has also been established currently undergoing training in the last two weeks to complement other security agencies in tackling crime and criminality in our communities, with growing surge in untoward activities as the yuletide festivity draws near.
