By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
President Muhammadu Buhari did not answer a question posed to him on state policcing during an interview on Arise Television. Instead, he took the interviewer on historical exploration of how security works in traditional Nigerian societies. The interview is Buhari’s first after the 2019 election.
One of the interviewers, Tundun MKO Abiola, asked Buhari if the existence of security outfits like the Civilian JTF, Amotekun and the others was not suggesting that it was high time to formalise state police in Nigeria.
Buhari responded: “I have been reading it in the newspapers. Those of us who are old enough to know the old Police, that time, the traditional institution leaders were very effective in each community. I’ll give one example of recent. Two governors from the South West came to tell me that the cattle rearers in some of the forest have killed farmers, while their cattle were eating their crop. So, I told them , you campaigned to be elected and you are elected. Then go back and sought out yourselves, because there has been a system as all of us here could recall when there are security at local government and state. It consists the traditional leaders in that area who have been there for generations, so they know all the crooks.
” In the gazette of the First Republic when people were obeying laws, there is cattle routes and gazing area. Cattle routes, when they are moving up country – North to South, East to West, they have to move up there. If you allow your cattle to stray into any farmer’s farm, you are arrested. The farmer is invited to submit his claims. The Alkali or the judge would say oya pay. If you can’t, the cattle is sold. If there is any balance, you are given. And people were behaving themselves. And in the grazing areas, they built dams, put windmills. in some places even veterinary department so that the farmers are limited. Their route is known, if they have any problem, their locality is know. But I am telling you, this rushing to the Centre… so I asked for the gazette so that those who encroach on this cattle route areas will be dispossessed and try to bring some order back into cattle rearing,” he said.
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