Don calls for Special Force to tackle Farmers-Herders clashes

Dr Abubakar Sadiq, a reknown political scientist, on Monday called on the Federal Government to create a special force to tackle Farmers-Herdsmen clashes, cattle rustling and related banditry in the country.

Sadiq made the call in Gusau at a special town hall meeting on the Federal Government measures to curb killings through cattle rustling in Zamfara.

Sadiq, a lecturer of over 30 years experience in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was the resource person at the town hall meeting attended by Gov. Abdulazeez Yari of Zamfara and members of the state cabinet.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, also led four other ministers to Gusau for the special town hall meeting.

The Ministers are: Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, Ministers of State, Environment, Usman Jibrin, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed and Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar.

Addressing the gathering, Sadiq said the clashes and banditry, which usually occurred in villages, would be better handled by the special force which would understand the terrain.

He said the Police and the military that were being deployed to the flash points of the crises did not understand the areas and intelligence gathering always become difficult

The don said that the farmers-herdsmen clashes and the cattle rustling were serious issues, which had been manipulated by politicians, the media and even the academics for ulterior motives.

He explained that the crises in Zamfara in particular were purely rural banditry and had nothing to do with religion and ethnicity as being portrayed by the media and by politicians.

Sadiq said that the crises which started as far back as 2009 with kidnapping of mostly women had no Jihadist coloration as being portrayed in certain quarters.

He recommended that the traditional pastoral culture should be maintained together with the introduction of ranching.

The lecturer also underscored the need for adequate sensitisation before the implementation of ranching policy in addressing farmers-herdsmen clashes.

Corroborating the position of the lecturer, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu said that the issue of national security must not be sensationalised by the media or used for political gains.

Adamu urged the media and politicians to be patriotic and sincere in handling delicate security issues in order not to throw the nation into crisis that could consume everyone.

Adamu said the traditional institution should be utilised in addressing the crises while the people should sacrifice by giving credible intelligence reports to the security agencies.

On his part, the Minister of State for Environment, Usman Jubrin said Zamfara covering over 7000km is agrarian with enormous forest resources waiting to be tapped.

The minister underscored the need for peace and security for the state to attain its potentials.

He, therefore, called for the restoration of effective traditional emirate council system to address security challenges in the state.

Jubrin said the security could not act in isolation, therefore, the people must at all times be ready to avail them with reliable intelligence reports. (NAN)