Farmers in Bauchi State have been advised as a matter of urgency by the State Police Command to harvest their farm produce in order to allow herders to graze freely and avoid farmer-herder bloody clashes.
The advice was contained in a statement by the Command PPRO, SP Ahmed Wakili, made available to journalists in the early hours of Saturday.
The PPRO stated that the Command has identified herders’ and farmers feuds and communal clashes, armed robbery, kidnapping and abduction, road traffic accidents, theft of farm produce, mischief, and youths’ restiveness (thuggery), amongst others, as potential security threats for the Ember-months season.
The command, therefore, notified the public of the proactive security measures that everyone is required to be acquainted with and adhere to in order to enhance general safety and security in the state.
According to the Command PPRO, “to avoid herders-farmers and communal clashes, the Command called on the respective organs to refrain from acts of mischief or any acts that could lead to the breakdown of law and order and public peace.”
He added that, “However, farmers are advised to evacuate their farm produce in good time before herders start grazing freely and it degenerates into the aforementioned.”
“Also, all herders are unequivocally warned to desist from trespassing into farmers’ crops before they harvest them,” he added.
On armed robbery, he stated that the crime case is mostly a trend during the Ember months; consequently, the Command’s crime analysis advised travellers to shun the act of night-time journeys or travelling during the wee hours of the day.
They are further advised to look for the nearest convenient places to sleep and proceed with their journeys when the day breaks for their safety.
He also stated that the menace of kidnapping and abduction was almost rampant during the last eight months of the year 2022.
Therefore, in the year 2023, the Command has grounded a strategic map-out of the kidnapper’s enclaves and introduced modern security tactics and more sophisticated approaches in order to strengthen the operational bodies for serious battles against these crimes and others in the state.
On night-time travelling and ver-speeding,, he stated that due to the increased number of road accidents resulting from night-time travelling and over-speeding, the command advised all travellers, particularly drivers, to shun the act of speeding, especially during the wee hours, to avert occurrences of avoidable road accidents that might result in loss of lives, fatalities, and property.
Against theft of farm produce or mischief, the command advised farmers to be familiar with their farm terrain and the farm neighbours or farm owners around them.
They are enjoined to be very vigilant with their farm produce and evacuate them when they are due for harvest timeously to avoid either being stolen, unlawful grazing by herders, or destruction by nightfire.
As for youth restiveness and thuggery, popularly known as Yan-Sara-Suka, citizens are advised to be very vigilant with their belongings in every circumstance and avoid being indolent.
They are also enjoined to advise youths around them to shun any unruly behaviour that will jeopardize the peaceful atmosphere of the state.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Auwal Musa Muhammad, reiterated that the command’s commitment and relentless efforts toward ensuring a crime-free society in our beloved state will never be halted.
Consequently, the CP re-emphasizes that community engagement in crime prevention, management, and control is crucial in attaining the desired goals and our primary mandate, which is the protection of lives and property, amongst others.
“On this note, the proactive measures came up following credible intelligence and an analysis of security threats identified by the command,” he concluded.
