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As dry season sets in, Fulani cattle farmers and cattle rearers in Kwara state have been urged to be vigilant and verify that cattle breeders from neighbouring states do not invade their communities to foment trouble.
Speaking during a sensitisation meeting with Fulani in Kwara state, in conjunction with Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Police, and DSS, the Serikin Fulani Kwara state, Alhaji Usman Adamu, said that the purpose of the meeting was to sensitise the Fulani in the state to be vigilant and see that bandits and all criminal elements did not come to reside in Kwara state.
“As we are hearing of what is happening in other states and bandits are being chased away from those states, we don’t want them to stay in Kwara. Also, people that are doing bad things such as kidnapping, cattle rustling, and armed robbery do not come to the state.
“Also drying season is setting in, we need to be careful that cattle breeders, leaving other states from the North, East don’t come and spoil Kwara for us because we don’t know what many of them have done in the states that chase them away from where they are coming.
“So, all community heads, Seriki Fulani, should verify. Parents of the Fulanis should call children that are in habit of drinking, smoking and doing other bad things to order. Parents should warn them not to come and destroy Kwara for us or come and cause problem here.
“They should also warn people that are with cattle to monitor their cattle very well as drying season is setting in. Cattle rearers should not rear their cattles into farm lands. All these sensitization messages are necessary due to security reasons.
“We have vigilance group that are Fulanis that monitors and provide security in all the areas. They need more support from the government in order to do the security work very well. For instance, guns which some of them use to do the work are not of standard quality as those being handled by the bad elements. Government should support the Fulani vigilance group in order to perform their job very well.
“Parents of the Fulani children should be called to order. Those whose son go out with huge sum of money or buy expensive things, the parents should find out where the son got the money because he may be going out with kidnappers, or to do bad things or to do armed robbery, all the Fulanis should be vigilant. They should monitor the movement of their children, monitor the movement of their cattles in order not to cause trouble.
Also speaking, the Kwara State Commandant of the NSCDC, represented by the Head, Agro-ranger, Assistant Commandant Ibrahim A.O., cautioned that the Fulani should not take law into their hands in any crisis situation.
“They should report every matter to NSCDC office. They should not entertain any fear, if the cattles feed on farm lands and they are reported, if they are needed at the station they should not entertain any fear. They should come and explain things. They should also warn their children to desist from acts that are against the law”, he said.
End.
