Police, Miyetti Allah meet to prevent farmer-herder clashes in Kano

The Kano State Police Command has held a strategic security meeting with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) in the state to strengthen measures aimed at preventing farmer-herder clashes ahead of the harvest season.

The meeting, held at the Command Headquarters in Bompai, Kano, was led by the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, and MACBAN Kano Chairman, Captain Abdullahi Adamu Bakoji (retd).

The Police said the engagement was part of its proactive, intelligence-led and community-centred policing strategy to address disputes that often arise during the harvest and transhumance periods.

Bakoji identified crop destruction, cattle rustling, encroachment on cattle routes and grazing reserves, night grazing, reprisal attacks and misinformation as some of the issues capable of escalating tensions between farmers and herders.

He said MACBAN had been sensitising its members, identifying and sanctioning recalcitrant herders, working with traditional institutions and reporting criminal elements within the association to security agencies.

He also pledged the association’s continued cooperation with the Police and other stakeholders to promote peaceful coexistence.

“The engagement is apt, timely and critical to sustaining peace in Kano State,” Bakoji said.

Responding, CP Bakori said the Command had put comprehensive security arrangements in place to protect lives and property across the state as economic activities, harvests, festivities and movements increase in the final quarter of the year.

The Commissioner of Police directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations and the Officer-in-Charge of the State Intelligence Department to strengthen intelligence gathering and early warning systems, particularly in agrarian and frontline local government areas.

He also ordered sustained visibility patrols along cattle routes, grazing reserves, forests and identified flashpoints, while calling for continuous engagement with MACBAN, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), traditional rulers and local government authorities.

“We are prioritising conflict prevention over conflict response through early warning, intelligence gathering and community partnership,” CP Bakori said.

He urged herders to obey the law, report suspicious persons and movements, and avoid taking the law into their own hands.

He similarly appealed to farmers to avoid provocation and channel grievances through lawful authorities.

He said the Command would also maintain a rapid-response mechanism to ensure that disputes are addressed promptly before they escalate into violence.

The meeting ended with both parties reaffirming their commitment to peace, dialogue and cooperation towards maintaining security in Kano State.

Police, Miyetti Allah meet to prevent farmer-herder clashes in Kano