- We’re Not Fake, DPO Inaugurated Us
By Amos Aar
THE Benue State Community Volunteer Guards (BSCVG) on Sunday night arrested eleven persons for alleged impersonation of Volunteer Guards at different locations in Makurdi, the state capital.
But those arrested said they are not fake but guards inaugurated by the police. According to them, they had handed over many cases to the DPO of E Division in Makurdi that are currently being investigated.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of E Division, CSP Dan Ezeala corroborated the alleged suspects claims stating that he was aware of their operations. He said the 11 persons in question have been keeping security except if they have done something wrong that could have prompted their arrest.
‘Suspects’ paraded
Parading the suspects at the office of the Security Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom, BSCVG Commander, Capt. Ayuma Ajobi (rtd) said, his men swung into action on Sunday night and arrested the impersonators at Iorhom, New St Joseph Akpehe, NKST Akpehe and International Market Road, all in Makurdi metropolis, extorting money from helpless residents.
“They were going in the guise of Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, some of them carried insignia or uniforms that looked like Benue State Volunteer Guards which actually they are not.
“They were actually extorting money from helpless Benue citizens especially Okada riders, Keke Napep drivers and pedestrians on the roads and claiming that they were working with BSCVG.
“We frown at that because the governor does not forgive such acts and we cannot condone the act to continue because they are staining our name, they are portraying us in bad light. These are not our members but they claim to be our members”, he said.
Ajobi, who disclosed that since the inauguration of the BSCVG by Governor Ortom barely two weeks ago, there have been cases of impersonation all over the state and called on leaders to desist from the formation of parallel security outfits.
“I want to bring it up for the notice of every leader, I got information that some local government chairmen have on their own formed some parallel security outfits and they are working at that level though we are trying to curtail such practice. We have warned the local government commanders and their chiefs and we have told them the implications.
“We have only one BSCVG and no other group should exist in parallel with us. But if they are interested in joining BSCVG, the should follow due process, they should go to their local chiefs who after certifying them in conjunction with the local government chairmen, will bring them to the state level”.
‘We’re not fake’
However, the accused persons told National Record that they were not impersonators because the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of E Division Makurdi, CSP Dan Ezeala, and members of the community were aware of their operations.
“The DPO, E Division and the general community was present when we were inaugurated. We have everything in our phones including the speech of the DPO and the instruments (weapons) that he commissioned for us.
“As we speak with you, there are many cases that we handed over to the DPO that he is currently investigating”, the suspects claimed.
Asked if he was aware of the operations of the arrested suspects, the DPO E Division, debunked the allegation of impersonation, saying the 11 persons in question have been keeping security except if they have done something wrong that could have prompted the arrest.
“Security men sometimes they could go outside their mandate to do what is wrong that disciplinary measures could be embarked upon. If not, they have been performing their duties.
“First of all, I was told there was such arrest but I tried to establish whether legitimacy was challenged but I was told no, it was disciplinary measures and all that”.
The DPO further told National Record that the suspects were later released the same day.
“Later, I was informed they were told to go back and not go outside the law in performing their duties”, he said.
The suspects were paraded with locally manufactured single barrel riffles, cutlasses and machetes.
