The Kukah Centre on Thursday engaged stakeholders to strengthen the Benue Civil Protection Guards law for effective and efficient output.
The Executive Director of the Kukah Centre, Rev. Fr Atta Barkindo, said the ‘Validation of Law Assessment Report in Benue” stakeholders engagement meeting would also boost the capacity building of the security outfit.
Represented by Mr Terseer Bamber, Project Manager, Improving Community Security Initiatives for Accountable Service Delivery, Barkindo said they were supported by the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme to achieve the goal.
The SPRiNG is an initiative of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) implemented by Tetra Tech International Development and executed by The Kukah Centre.
The executive director said the project, which would be implemented by Improving Community Security Initiative for Accountable Service Delivery, is also being executed in Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Plateau states.
He explained that through the project, the gaps in law that established the security outfit would be strengthened for effective and efficient service delivery.
“The first component is dealing with the legal framework that established the Benue Civil Protection Guards. Are there areas of improvement, and how can it be done?
“Any work of human creation is subject to improvement. It therefore means that as a law there is room for its improvement too. So we are looking at areas that would strengthen the law to achieve its purpose.
“Secondly, we will be providing specialised training for 200 members of the security outfit. We all know their operations, and we all know that they need training and retraining to be able to keep up with the evolving security issues,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Leonard Viashima, Director-General (D-G), Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), said the project aligns with the vision of Gov Hyacinth Alia’s administration.
Viashima, who was represented by Mrs Beauty Adaaku, Ag. Director/Head of Human Resources and Administration, said Alia’s administration prioritises peacebuilding, inclusive governance, and people-centred development as key enablers of sustainable progress.
The D-G stated that by improving community security and promoting accountability in service delivery, the state would move closer to realising a Benue where every citizen feels safe, valued, and heard.
The Project Legal Adviser, Mr Justin Gbagir, pointed out that the existing law failed to make adequate provision for the funding of the security outfit.
Gbagir condemned the current situation which left the funding of the outfit to the discretion of the executive governor of the state, adding that it should be budgeted.
The legal adviser said the law was also silent on the issue of discipline, the process of requirements, and the appointment of the State Commander, among other issues.
Capt. Ayuma Ajobi (rtd), State Commander, Benue Civil Protection Guards, told newsmen that the current law does not empower him to discipline any personnel.
Ajobi commended the organisers for their support, adding that there were some clauses in the law that were ambiguous. (NAN)