IG sets up committee to resolve herdsmen, farmers crises

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, has set up a committee to resolve the lingering clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in some northern parts of the country.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr Frank Mba, said in a statement on Friday in Abuja that the committee was headed by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of operations.

The statement said that the President-General, Miyetti Allah, the umbrella body of the herdsmen, and three other members of the body were included in the committee.

It said that the president and executive members of Farmers’ Association of Nigeria were also members.

It said that community leaders of the affected areas in Benue, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara, some of the states affected by the clashes, were members of the committee.

The statement said that the committee followed an interactive meeting between the inspector-general and the leadership of Miyetti Allah at the Force Headquarters on Thursday.

“The essence of the meeting was to find an alternative dispute resolution mechanism geared towards finding a lasting solution to the lingering crises.

“In addition to the ongoing crisis management measures and strategies being implemented by the force, there was need to meet with stakeholders and parties to the conflict,’’ it added.

The statement directed the committee to visit all the affected states and liaise with the police commands as well as the governors and other stakeholders, to resolve the crises.

The statement called on the leadership of Miyetti Allah and other relevant stakeholders, to cooperate with the police in resolving the issues.