The police in Jigawa have called for effective synergy with stakeholders to prevent fleeing bandits and terrorists from hiding in the state.
Mr Sulaiman Abdul, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Finance and Administration, said this at a stakeholders’ engagement, on Friday in Dutse.
The theme of the meeting is: “Shared Responsibility: Co-Producing Peace, Preventing Trans-Border Criminality, and Maintaining Regional Stability in Jigawa.”
He said Jigawa has been recognised as an oasis of peace in the North-West region, and stressed the need to sustain relative peace in the state.
Abdul said maintaining the peace required stakeholders to understand that crime prevention and peace-building was a collective responsibility, rather than a police affairs.
He said that as criminals modernised their tactics, the service defence must rely on an unbroken chain of trust between the police, traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations and the media.
“To our officers, the IGP sent a clear message of commendation for your recent success in staying on the offensive against bandits.
“To our stakeholders, the IGP extends his hand in partnership. We must act together, predict threats and prevent our peaceful state from becoming a soft landing zone for criminals fleeing pressure in neighboring states.
“To achieve a crime-free Jigawa, the Nigeria Police Force operates under six pillars, which our stakeholders are central to the success of each pillar,” he said.
He listed the pillars to include Intelligence-Led and Technology-Driven Policy (NPF-ICD), Strict Accountability and Human Rights Compliance, Community Policing and Public Trust, Inter-Agency Collaboration and Regional Synergy, Operational Standardisation and Specialisation and Personnel Welfare and Capacity Building.
“We must implement three critical community-driven security strategies; pre-empting farmer-herder disputes, securing border corridors and forest, and the power of responsible journalism,” Abdul said.
He said that police divisions in each local government area must set up conflict resolution and mediation committees to address farmer-herder clashes in .
On border security, Abdul advised community leaders and youth groups to activate robust neighborhood watches to check criminal influx,
Abdul said that residents should monitor and report suspicious persons and activities including unusual bulk purchase of fuel, food or motorcycles.
He said the media is critical to peace-building either by fostering it or igniting a crisis.
The DIG tasked the media to shun sensationalised reporting that glorifies criminal elements or create unnecessary panic, and use its platforms to create awareness on security and peaceful coexistence.
He also urged community leaders to foster peace and unity in their domains, and cooperate with the police to secure the state.
Mr Usman Shehu-Barde, Chairman, Police Community Relation Committee (PCRC) in the state, pledged continued collaboration with the police to enable it to protect lives and property.
Also, Jamilu Basiru, a representative of the Dutse Emirate Council, assured the continued council’s support to combat farmer-herder clashes in the state.