Know your line of operation, NGO tells vigilante groups,hunters

Admin and Agency report.

To avoid clashes,an NGO, The Pastoral Resolve, has advised vigilante groups and hunters to operate within their operational mandate in Kogi state.

The organisation’s Programme Manager, Mr Muhammad Munji-Sanusi, gave the advice at the end of a four-day Hybrid Dialogue for Vigilante groups in Bakumba and Gadan Shagari communities of Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi.

“This is aimed at avoiding, fomenting, or escalation of conflicts in and among communities in the state.

“Pastor Resolve is as a non-governmental organisation working on areas of peacebuilding, conflict management, livelihood, education and health.

“It is as well working on tackling the impasse arising from pastoralists and farmers’ clashes, through constructive engagement.

“This is why today; we are urging you, the vigilante groups and hunters associations, to be abreast of your terms of engagement and operations, which must be within the limits of your mandate.

“A situation where vigilance groups and associations created to assist in ensuring unity and peaceful co-existence in communities turned out to be their albatross in clear deviation from the purpose for their creation is very unfortunate and will not be tolerated,” Munji-Sanusi said.

Munji-Sanusi, however, urged them to strive to collaborate and cooperate with leaders and all members of the communities to engender peace and peaceful co-existence in complementing the efforts of regular security agencies.

He explained that Pastor Resolve project solely funded by United States Agency for International Development five-year programme, was being implemented in Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kogi, Benue, and Plateau.

Also speaking, Mr Israel Edwin-Okpe, Senior Programmes Officer with Pastor Resolve, said that the organisation had been able to work with conflicting communities in the state on issues around farmer-pastoralist conflicts.

Okpe attributed the herder/farmers onslaughts to negative perceptions of the public, adding that the organisation had been able to train community groups on interest-based negotiations to resolve disputes under key activities such as the Community Conflict Prevention Forum.

“In places such as Odu, Dekina Local Government Area, there were places that pastoralists could not graze before, but now they can go through all those areas without any issue chiefly due to our intervention,” he disclosed.

Mr Edward Egbuka, Commissioner of Police in Kogi, urged the farmers, herders, and the vigilante groups to keep collaborating for the maintenance of peace, especially in the communities.

Ehbuka, who was represented by Ajiboye Alaba, Head, State Investigation and Intelligence Bureau, urged the groups and their leaders to be fair and just in their dealings and support each other to thrive and succeed.

The General Secretary of Bakumba Community Committee on Security, Mr Dangara Moses, commended the organisation for its timely intervention at curbing crises and ensuring peaceful co-existence among communities.

Moses attributed the usual face-off between the vigilantes, farmers, and herders to negative perceptions and responses.