Operatives now underground to unmask killer-herdsmen in Delta

Police, Army, DSS, Air Force plan to storm Ovre-Abraka Forest, herdsmen’s hqtrs
Give us information on activities of herdsmen, police boss begs citizens

COMMISSIONER of Police, Delta State, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim, has urged Deltans not to lose sleep over attacks by supposed herdsmen, as operatives of the State Intelligence Bureau, SIB, of the Delta Command and Department of State Services, DSS, have launched covert operations to discover the real perpetrators, their hideouts and modus-operandi, preparatory to a full-scale pronged..

Ibrahim, who spoke to NDV in an interview at Asaba, revealed that the Police, DSS, Army and Air force were at present strategizing on how to raid Ovre-Abraka forest, otherwise known as ‘Sambisa forest’ in Ethiope East Local Government Area, said to be the ‘operational headquarters’ of the lawless herdsmen in the state.

He pleaded with Deltans to give information to the Police on the activities of criminals, whether  herdsmen or not in their areas, saying the Police were on top of the situation, but without information, they would not all the needful. His words: “Like I told you earlier on, we are in synergy with sister agencies that have the wherewithal, the Air force for instance, which will carry out air surveillance, our State Intelligence Bureau, SIB and Department of State Services, DSS are going under cover, so it is only when we have that information that you expect us to react.”

Explaining why the Police have not combed Ovre-Abraka forest since villagers raised alarm over the activities of helicopter dropping supplies for herdsmen in the hideaway, he said: “One, if these people are armed, we have to know their fire power, we have to know their location(s), you understand me. We are already strategizing with all the security agencies, the army, air force and DSS, we are just waiting for our men to return with the information that we need, and then, definitely, we will do something about it.

“There are also other interests in that place (Abarka), which are compounding the already bad situation. And unless and until we address all at the same time, it will also be a problem. I mean the boundary problem between Edo and Delta states has to be addressed because once in a while, infiltrators come in disguise  create mayhem and it is attributed to herdsmen. So it has to be tackled holistically, I told you about Presco company, which is not helping matters. At times, we have information that they brought in military and police to come and make arrest, creating tension in an already tensed situation, just like this one that they did last week, so I believe that by the time we have full information about that place, we will do something about it.”

Excerpts:

By Emma Amaize & Festus Ahon

THERE is a widespread impression in Delta that the Police are treating herdsmen with kid gloves. What gloves are you using?

Well, I am not a boxer. That was on a lighter note, I understand what you are talking about. The issue of herdsmen is a national problem; it is not peculiar to Delta State. The country has found itself in a situation where we are contending with a lot of problems from herdsmen, I am sure you must have heard that in Zamfara State, recently, over 132 people were killed by herdsmen, not to talk about other states that have the same challenges.

So, what I am saying in effect is that we have the herdsmen problem in Delta State, but our situation is not overwhelming. We have been able to curtail the situation as far as I know  because if you look at it critically, we have handled a lot of these problems through town hall meetings and dialogue. We have been appealing to their sensibilities, to the communities and we are trying to let them understand that there is sanctity in human life; nobody has the right to the life of another person because of one reason or the other.

Picture not as bad as painted

I am talking to both parties now; that is the herdsmen and the communities. We have had one or two skirmishes but like I said earlier on, it is not as overwhelming as the picture is being painted. In Ossissa community, for instance, we have had two or three  instances where there are problems, but most of the victims are the Fulanis themselves. I remembered two young children were beheaded and their headless bodies were buried, then the most recent one, a 63-year-old person was killed and a boy of about seven years is still missing. So, that is Ossissa for you.

In Kwale and other places, it is the same story, so what I am trying to say in effect is that we have tried our best to ensure that the situation does not degenerate like other states such as Benue, Taraba, Zamfara, etc. So, we should be credited for what we have done so far and we are not relenting, as the picture is being painted. The people of Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West and Ukwuani areas are disturbed that police are not reacting promptly when there are attacks and killings by herdsmen in their communities. But when they touch their cows, police get angry and arrest them…

That is very far from the truth because one, the Police is not everywhere; the Police are not magicians, we only work on information and intelligence. If you get us informed that there is a problem, I bet you that our response time should not be more than 20 minutes and I assure that, that is our operational standard. And in those areas, I have reinforced that place, if you go through that route, you will see that I have reinforced that place with Armoured Personnel Carriers, Eagle Net vehicles, Operation Dragon and Safer Highways patrol vehicles. On that axis alone, we have close to 11. So, if any report gets to our people, they will call the control room and we have a standby unit here, they will quickly respond.

5 days in Ossissa bush

I remembered when there was a skirmish in that place, I deployed well over 200 policemen to Ossissa alone and I was there myself, we went into the bushes for about five days after which we recovered that old man that was buried in a shallow grave. We spent five days in that bush and we made sure that we evacuated close to 5,000 cattle from that Ossissa bush alone with about 20 to 30 of the herdsmen. We evacuated them out of that place because the tension was getting so terrible.

So we had to move them out of that place and escorted them to the borders of Kogi state from where they left Delta. We did that for fear of reprisal because if we had allowed those people to still remain, where that old man was slaughtered to death, there was the tendency that they would mobilize their people from other states and come there and there would have been a problem. So, anybody who tells you that the Police do not respond as quickly as expected, I think he is being unfair to us.

What are you doing to evacuate the over 2,000 herdsmen that have taken over Ovre Abraka from the area?

That is a very big problem because we do not have the information about that place. I am telling you before God and man, information about that place is very scanty.

Information and intelligence

We only have the information that somebody has seen Fulani herdsmen with guns; we do not have full information. Unless and until you have good intelligence, it will be foolhardy for you to react sometimes. I am sure you remember what happened to our people at Ohorhor community, where our policemen were attacked.

We have just exhumed one of the dead bodies, yesterday (last Monday). The other one got drowned. The Area Commander escaped death by whiskers, I am sure you know about it. So, we must have credible information so that we do not enter a culdesac and that Ovre Abraka you are talking about is a very vast forest.

Secondly, we need information and intelligence about that place. Thirdly, and even more importantly, is the issue of the dispute between Edo and Delta States. I had to speak with members of the community that were arrested in Edo State yesterday (last Monday). About 12 of them with vigilante members, they were taken to Edo State, I had to intervene and secure their release based on the fact that they were seen in their farmland that was said to be in dispute.

I just spoke with their monarch, Air -Vice Marshal Lucky Arharire (retd.) before you came in and he was thanking me for that. So, it compounds the problem.

Poser

However, the puzzle is: Are most of the killings there really perpetrated by herdsmen or somebody else? Like the man who was said to have been slaughtered the other time, not the most recent one, the one before this one. The man went into his farmland and saw people harvesting his crops, he reacted and they killed him. But it is attributed to herdsmen, even this one, they are saying it is the activities of herdsmen, but I can bet you that investigation is on, I would not want to jeopardize the course of the investigation but I heard a different story about the whole thing.

So, on the issue of Ovre Abraka, let us be careful and I have to add too that the Presco Oil Company is not helping matters because they are the ones compounding the already bad situation in that place. Let us be realistic and truthful about it. That Ovre Abraka axis let us be sure that they are herdsmen or not before we can say something about it – that is my take on it.

Why has the police not struck yet?

I have told you, before you react, there must be credible information, otherwise you can fall into ambush, which is what we are concerned about, so we want members of the public to cooperate with us. Delta is an agrarian state, majority of the people are farmers and if they do not go to farm, they will not eat, so we should be able to protect the lives of these farmers no matter what it takes.

But what is important is that they are the ones who go to the farmlands, if they see any unusual movement, they should get us informed. I have not hidden my numbers, it is in the public domain. If I switch off my phone for five minutes and switch it on again, you will hear a lot of complaints – ‘Commissioner, I called you, your phone was switched off.’ So I do not dare switch off my phone; members of the public should cooperate with us. I assure you, we are going to bring this situation to its logical conclusion.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, at Ughelli, last week, narrowed most kidnappings in the state to members of the Hausa, Fulani stock, and they are suspected herdsmen, though in connivance with some locals. What are your own findings?

Well, he may have his own statistics with due respect, but you see my own take in this matter is that crime has no nationality; it does not have boundary or tribe, religion or whatever you are. talking about.

Summary of  the statistics

Yes, a lot of these herdsmen and people of Hausa extraction have been found to be involved in these heinous crimes. I have records to show that almost everybody that you know is involved in this whole thing. Whether it is an indigene or a non-indigene, they are all involved in this thing. I have close to 112 kidnappers in my custody as at today and the summary of the statistics shows otherwise.

In Delta State, we have 80, Anambra 9, Adamawa 8, Taraba 3, Niger 3, Imo 2, Edo 1, Bayelsa 1, Rivers 1, Akwa Ibom 1, Enugu 1, Sokoto 2, Plateau 1 and Kaduna 1. So it does not have any bound, it depends on what he is being furnished with. So I would not want to contradict him but he has his own reasons for saying that, but the statistics that I have is what I am talking about.

You are an advocate of grazing reserves in the state. But the governor does not believe in it, which to him is the stand of Deltans and the Speaker re-echoed that whe he spoke the mind of Deltans. How do you convince them otherwise?

Well, I do not know where you got your information from about my advocacy; I know as Commissioner in Delta, I am an advocate of peace and tranquillity in the state. You see it is already part of  public discourse, the issue of grazing or no grazing. I am sure you have been reading about the Minister talking about it, but my belief is that even during the colonial days, there used to be what are called the cattle routes, not grazing land because these people are migrating from one point of the country to the other.

Following the  cattle routes

In fact, in the West Africa sub-region, there are those cattle routes. It was demarcated even during colonial days. That is my take. These people should only follow the cattle routes. If they follow these cattle routes, those that might have done the demarcation knew that they will not infiltrate into people’s farmland that is my take.

If these routes are no more in existence, there are beacons I think, they have beacons. Let us demarcate these routes once more so that these people will be forced, enforcement can be made so that they follow these routes and all these.

There is also a worrisome trend that even when herdsmen attack and kill police officers, the authorities are not also moved to react correspondingly. Why?

I have just told you that we lost two of our men and the Area Commander was attacked. They were not attacked in the comfort of their houses. As I am talking to you now, we are exchanging intelligence even with the soldiers and the Air Force, who we expect are going to do air surveillance and give us information. Even the soldiers will not just move without raking. I am sure you know that, which is why I am talking about intelligence.

We don’t have information

Members of the public will not give us intelligence, but they expect you to perform magic. I want to place it on records and challenge you, how many persons have come to tell me about herdsmen from that axis? None till tomorrow, even the Ossissa axis. Nobody has ever come to tell me this is the information we have about herdsmen.

 

 

The post Operatives now underground to unmask killer-herdsmen in Delta appeared first on Vanguard News.