The Inspector General of Police and the Chairman of the Peace Committee in Nigeria, Suleiman Abba, has expressed worry over the increased level of impunity, killings and other unpalatable happenings in the country.
Abba described it as unacceptable, warning communities to stay out of hostility and embrace one another or face the wrath of the law.
He stated this in Jos, the Plateau State capital. while addressing community leaders and local government officials.
The Assistant Inspector General in charge of Zone 8, with headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State, Christopher Dega, said the interface was Abba’s deliberate policy to turn away from the normal policing to chart a way forward to bring to an end the communal clashes among ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
Dega explained that the committee set up by the IG has all AIGs as members.
It is to visit all the states of the federation, with Nasarawa State as the first port of call.
He said they had to shelve their visit to Nasararwa State and jumped to Benue State due to the tense security challenges in the state.
In Plateau State, he urged the people of Wase and Langtang Local Government Areas to resolve their differences and promote peaceful coexistence in the area.
He said: “This assignment is to look into major areas of conflict in the area and then identify it so that we can put the trend behind us.
“We want people to promote peaceful coexistence and live with one another as brothers and sisters.
“The committee was given 10 terms of references; to encourage and facilitate dialogue, conduct moral programmes to all citizens suffering injustice, prefer alternative to dispute resolution, report communal clashes before it escalates and also to rub minds together and put an end to communal clashes and address problems of internally displaced people, cohabitation in the country.”
Manaseh Bingkur Selzing, who stood in for the Chairman of Langtang North Local Government Area, Hon. Nanmwa Kumzhi, commended Abba for organizing the peace meeting with the people of his locality.
Kumzhi said three major causes of conflict in his zone are religious, politics and land.
He said: “The problem of leadership in Wase Local Government is the religion.
“Then political domination by Muslim because they are the people occupying most of the key positions and appointments in the council.
“We pray that this committee shall bring the truth out after their finding and cannot be biased in dealing with the re-occurrence of crises in the area.
He called on the committee to partner with the National Orientation Agency to know more of the plan on ground.
Member of the Wase delegation, Justice Mohammed Othman, blamed the Taroh in Wase over the land dispute.
The Ponzhi Tarok, General Domcat Bali, said: “We are gradually regaining peace now, but the big problem is cattle rustling.
“We have some miscreants who are working hard to stop movement of people from Langtang and Wase Local Governments by killing them.”
The Sole Administrator of Wase Local Government Area, Hon. Mohammed Zakari, commended Abba for initiating the peace parley.
The members of the dialogue committee include AIG Christopher Dega (chairman), AIG Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar, and AIG Joseph Mbu.