The Police have declared war on Fulani herdsmen perpetrating unending attacks on farmers with unlicensed firearms.
The force said it does not issue gun licences to herdsmen and would henceforth clamp down on any one of them found to be in possession of firearms without Police licence.
This move has become imperative following allegations that Fulani herdsmen use dangerous weapons such as AK47 and other guns whenever they are embroiled in violent clashes with farmers over grazing areas for their cattle.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, told Saturday PUNCH that the police do not issue firearms to unqualified persons and encourage Nigerians to provide information on illegal arms across the country.
Arase, who spoke through the Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, noted that any herdsman found carrying guns would be arrested and prosecuted under the law of the land.
“We have always confisticated illegal and prohibited firearms and prosecute those arrested. Police cannot issue firearms licence to herdsmen; we are encouraging citizens to provide information on illegal arms across the country. Public safety is the absolute priority,” the police boss said via a text message from Kolawole.
The IG said all applications for firearms’ licence must follow the right procedures. “The Police cannot issue out firearms licence to anyone that is not qualified to possess firearms. There are procedures to obtain firearms licence; if you don’t follow the procedure and you don’t meet the requirements, you will not be granted the approval to possess one.”
In similar vein, Police commissioners across the country are also talking tough vowing to arrest Fulani herdsmen with firearms and treat them like common criminals.
The Delta State Police Commissioner, Alkali Baba Usman, said the command had arrested many Fulani herdsmen and interrogated them over allegations of farm destructions and killings.
“We are not afraid of arresting any Fulani herdsmen if found to have committed an offence, but we work within the ambit of the law,” he said. “As regards the arms, they obtain permission to protect their cows. When they are arrested, we treat them as suspects until they are charged to court if necessary.”
The Niger State Police Command said Fulani herdsmen were not allowed by law to bear firearms to look after their cattle and that anyone of them found with arms would be treated like a criminal.
The command’s spokesperson, Bala Elkana, said the command had confiscated over 20 AK47 guns, 70 dane guns, 30 double barrelled guns and over 1,000 live ammunition from Fulani cattle rustlers.
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, described the bearing of firearms by Fulani herdsmen as illegal, saying that the police would not hesitate to arrest such persons.
He said, “In Ogun State, they only bear machetes, swords and sticks, also known as “sanda.”
“It is not illegal for them to bear those swords, machetes and sticks, unless they begin to use them to intimidate, harass or threaten the people, then the police can arrest them. No herdsman had approached us for licensing for firearms.”
He, however, admitted that the command had been inundated with cases of rape and cattle rustling, among others.
Over the years, several clashes have been recorded between the host communities and the herdsmen, with the indigenes mostly at the receiving end.
The most recent incidents include the invasion of Abbi community in the Uzo-Uwani area of Enugu by Fulani herdsmen in February.
Traditional rulers and community leaders in the affected communities have called on the Federal Government to address the menace of the herdsmen.