IGP Idris reveals only solution to herdsmen/farmers’ clash in Nigeria

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has said that the only
genuine solution to herdsmen/farmers crisis in some parts of the
country is through dialogue.

IGP Idris said this at the public launch of his book titled: 'Security
and Justice: The pathway for peace and reconciliation in Nigeria', in
Lagos while appealing to Nigerians to shun inciting statements and
stop playing politics with crisis.

Idris disclosed that he was personally in Benue State to discuss
reconciliation moves with the parties involved, adding that the
responses had, so far, been encouraging.

The IGP said: "The challenges we are having with these herdsmen have
gone down. In Benue, we have 15 Police units on ground and I have been
monitoring their successes. I was in Benue and we have been having
stakeholders' meetings, we have been discussing.

"Based on this, people have been coming openly to state their problems
and it is through these means that we can understand each other and
reconcile our differences.

"The role of traditional rulers in this reconciliation process cannot
be over emphasised because most of them have the ears of their people.
When you have political disagreement in these communities, these
traditional rulers are handy."

He explained that the reason for writing the book was in recognition
of the Nigeria Police as the nation's core law enforcement agency
which is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of
preventing and detecting crime, apprehension and prosecution of
offenders, preservation of law and order.

"I have watched with troubled heart the security challenges
confronting this country. The challenges of Boko Haram in the North
East, the challenges of kidnappings and armed robberies, cattle
rustling and militancy in virtually all parts of Nigeria.

"The farmers/herders clashes, the challenges of assassination for
various reasons, the challenges of conflicts among the divergent
communities which often times take dangerous dimensions and occur
along the fault lines of ethnic, religious, regional and political
differences between the divergent groups and communities.

"These challenges if not properly managed at the pace we are going,
coupled with inflammatory and inciting statements ,will tear this
country apart and drag us into an unending crisis.

"As the IGP, it is my responsibility to put sufficient security
architecture in place to manage the challenges aforementioned. I can
say with confidence that the emplaced preventive and detective
strategies have been largely successful in managing the situation
based on my achievement so far," Idris added.