Northern govs to resolve farmers, herders clash

Governors of the 19 northern states met yesterday and resolved to come up with a position that would address the issue of farmers, herders clashes in the country.Borno State Governor Alhaji Kashim Shettima also said at the opening of the meeting that the insurgency in the North-east has been halted and that the terrorists have been subdued.Shettima, who is the chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, said what was remaining was a few isolated cases of suicide bombings from remnants of the insurgents.“In respect of the insurgency in the North-east and as someone from the epicentre of the crisis, Ican confidently confirm that the insurgency has been irredeemably halted and the insurgents themselves completely subdued,” Shettima said.“What remains now are few isolated pockets of suicide bombings which the recalcitrant remnants of the insurgents use as a last resort toattract attention and create unnecessary panic among the general population,” he added.He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for fulfilling his promise to bring the insurgency to a complete halt as well as the military and other security agencies for their efforts.Shettima called on the president to ensure the full restoration of civil authority in the recaptured areas in order to pave way for the safe return of internally displaced people (IDPs) which he says entails the reconstruction and rehabilitation of public institutions and structures such as local government secretariats, police stations, prisons, hospitals and clinics as well as schools.“Subsequently, officers of the Nigerian Police andthose of the Civil Defence Corps could be deployed to maintain law and order and also stave off any intrusion into these communities,” the governor said.“It has therefore become a strategic imperative for us to take ahard look at these formidable challenges and work out strategies on the most effective ways of not only reversing the trend but also overcoming them once and for all. Whatever resolutions   we can come up with would be communicated to the appropriate authorities for obvious analytical examination and possible implementation,” Shettima stated.He appealed to members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria to use the opportunity provided by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government in order to present their case, saying the commission consists of people of unimpeachable integrity and respectable professional standing.

Daily Trust