As I rounded up my working visit to Benue State, I paid a courtesy visit to His Royal Majesty, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, the Tor Tiv and Chairman of the Benue State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The purpose of the visit was to receive his insights on key issues raised during my engagements with communities and stakeholders across the state over the past three days.
In his remarks, His Royal Majesty commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for establishing the Office of Community Engagement as a channel for the federal government to directly feel the pulse of citizens, particularly at the grassroots. He described the initiative as novel and innovative, and appreciated the efforts and commitment of my office in advancing the President’s vision.
While acknowledging the challenges across various sectors, the Tor Tiv also noted the ongoing reforms of the administration, particularly in the security sector.
As part of my engagements, I also paid a familiarization visit to the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, PhD.
In our discussion, I shared feedback from community engagements on the security situation across different parts of the state. The Commissioner highlighted ongoing efforts by the state command, working closely with the Force Headquarters, the state and local governments, the military, other security agencies, and community-based security networks to degrade the activities of bandits across the state.
He noted that these coordinated efforts have already led to increasing numbers of displaced persons leaving the Internally Displaced Persons Camps and returning to their communities. With sustained operations and continued collaboration, the command is hopeful that the camps will no longer have residents by the end of the year.
Through continuous dialogue and coordinated action, we continue to strengthen trust, improve responses to emerging threats, and advance lasting peace and stability across the North Central.