Africa
STAKEHOLDERS in the security sector have commended the role of traditional rulers in maintaining security, peace and harmony in the country.
The stakeholders including the police and security experts, who spoke in separate interviews in Bauchi, Gombe and Dutse, said traditional rulers hold the key to the success or failure of security administration at the grassroots.
They also attributed the relative peace in the states to the awareness creation activities being spearheaded by religious leaders.
Mr Oqua Etim, the Commissioner of Police in Gombe, linked the peaceful coexistence in the state to the contributions of traditional and religious leaders.
According to him, no one could effectively secure any society without support from the grassroots.
He said the command had adopted community policing strategy in line with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba towards protection of lives and property.
“The role that traditional and religious leaders play in the community is great and cannot be ignored.
“This is why we regularly engage them as critical stakeholders being the custodian of culture and tradition of the people,” he said
The CP said there were no cases of religious and traditional leaders’ complicity in insecurity, adding that the state had remained peaceful because of the vital information being made available by stakeholders at the grassroots.
He urged traditional and religious leaders to continue to promote peaceful coexistence while assisting security agencies with credible information to nip crimes in the bud.
Similarly; the Commissioner of Police in Jigawa, Mr Emmanuel Ekot said the state had not recorded any case of complicity by traditional or religious leaders to insecurity.
“The police command does not have record of any traditional leader being involved in insecurity.
“We don’t have such record in Jigawa. So I cannot say of any Emir or District Head in insecurity.
“There is no insecurity in the state and when there is anyone found wanton, we let you know,” he said.
Corroborating Ekot, the spokesman of the Nigeria Security and Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Jigawa, CSC Adamu Shehu said the Corps did not record such incident.
“Traditional and religious leaders are rather assisting in maintaining law and order in the state”.
The spokesman recalled that the Emir of Kazaure, Dr Najeeb Hussain donated five motorcycles, mobile phones and torchlights to the Corps.
“Also, at an expanded meeting organised by the government, the late Emir of Dutse, Nuhu Sunusi threatened to remove any community leader in his domain found wanton in insecurity.
“The late emir admonished his subjects to be vigilant, report suspicious persons and activities in their respective communities to security agencies”.
In the same vein; the spokesman of the Corps in Bauchi, Ibrahim Gabdo said that religious and traditional leaders had been cautioned against promoting distrust among their followers.
He said that lack of trust among the leaders at the grassroots could result to insecurity.
“The distrust among the various ethnic and religious groups as well as refusal to have a common position on security issues would affect the state.
“We have no such situation and the state is enjoying relative peace,” he said.
On his part, the Chief Imam of GRA Mosque in Bauchi metropolis, Babangida Mohammmed enjoined residents of the state to live in peace and harmony with one another.
The cleric stressed the need for peaceful coexistence to enhance security for sustainable social and economic development in the country.
While calling on security agencies to be professional in the discharge of their duties, Mohammed urged state governments to carry along ethnic and religious groups to enhance peace building at the grassroots. (NAN)
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Tags: Oqua Etim
