We Lack Manpower To Meet Insurgency Communities - Yobe CP Sunmonu
Abdulmalik Sunmonu is the Commissioner of Police incharge of Yobe State police command. In this interview with MOHAMMED ABUBAKAR, he speaks on some of the command's achievements, challenges and prospects.
He also spoke on the Boko Haram insurgency and outcome of the recent Security Council meeting chaired by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam among other issues. Excerpt:
Sir the year 2017 is gradually coming to an end. How would you assess the security situation in Yobe State?
The security situation in Yobe State has improved tremendously comparing it with that of last year. If you notice, this time last year, the streets of Damaturu, the state capital, was deserted. But the situation today the situation is different. As early as 6.30am the streets of Damaturu are already experiencing traffic congestion, both vehicles and people going to various businesses.
We have seen an increase in businesses in Damaturu and other major towns in the state. Super markets, filling stations are springing up. We are witnessing development in all spheres of human endeavour. All these were achieved as a result of the confidence of the people on security agencies that have gradually brought peace to the state.
How is your command handling the clashes between the farmers and herdsmen?
I must confess to you that here, we have relatively minimal problem between the crop farmers and the animal rearers (herdsmen), simply because Yobe State has established a grazing route for herders. The grazing route has greatly assisted in solving the problem of clashes between them. On our own part, we have formed panels at the local levels.
They comprise leaders of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders and Rearers Association of Nigeria, stakeholders, village heads, district heads and representatives of the herdsmen (Udawas). They are the major animal farmers around here, who move throughout the year in search of pasture.
In order to provide peace, we have advised the farmers to harvest their crops on time. As at now, the onset of cattle rearers has commenced, especially from Niger and Chad Republics. If this is done, there will be minimal problems over animals grazing on crops. I must tell you that the farmers here have been cooperating. They have begun to harvest their products.
But, the established grazing route has favoured us. They live in a kind of symbiotic life around here. The plant farmers ask the animal farmers to graze within their farms in order to benefit from the animal dung, which serves as organic manure to the soil.
So, here in Yobe State, we have very minimal cases of these clashes. In case there is, we contact their Chairmen, Emirs, District Heads and other important stakeholders. They come together and meet and reconcile. That is what we have done so far.
What is the level of policing in the Boko Haram liberated communities in Yobe State?
The main areas affected here in Yobe State are three Local Governments; Gujba was once completely taken over, Gulani and Yusufari. What we have done is with the return of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). We introduced community policing, where we engaged the communities because we are aware of their situation.
They were displaced from their land and these people are mostly farmers. Farming is their means of livelihood. We assure them of the presence of government. We create confidence in them to ensure that they sleep with their two eyes closed.
As a matter of fact, they have started asking for policing service in the areas we earlier closed our out-stations. With the assessment and assurance from the military, we try to make our presence felt. That is what exactly we are doing now.
What are the core challenges of policing in state like Yobe?
Generally speaking, of our challenges, the greatest one is the expectation from our service. People that are returning are expecting a lot from us. I must tell you that we have challenge of manpower. We need sufficient manpower across the country.
However, the Inspector General of Police is doing something in that respect. We are lucky to have recently had over 117 personnel. Fresh recruits were sent to the state. These are people who have been given some orientation. Another challenge is how to handle post insurgency communities. In this regard, we are training and retraining our personnel.
The NGOs here are doing well. They are coming in the area of capacity building on handling post insurgency communities like we have in Yobe State.
I must tell you that in the past, the Yobe State Police Command is the most devastated. Our command office was completely destroyed by Boko Haram. We lost over 200 officers. We need to be rehabilitated, which is what we are trying to do. On the other hand, we assure people that peace has finally returned to Yobe State
How can the communities assist the police to be more effective?
With the introduction of community policing, where the people are the police and the police are the people, here they assist with information, which is a vital proactive measure of preventing crimes. We still have some areas that are completely under the military control in Yobe State. These areas are places where the Boko Haram planted mines and explosives.
The people are everywhere, but we are not everywhere. We want them to give us information on face. We want them to come to our support, especially the vigilantes, the hunters and the Neighborhood Watch in order to augment our number, so that we can give them better services.
These people know the environment better than us and they are in better positions to gather information and intelligence for us. That is exactly what we need.
What security tips would you give here for the benefit of the people?
The people should repose confidence in us. They should come to us and offer advice and offer information to us. We had a challenge of Boko Haram insurgency. That was the biggest problem we have. We also have problems of homicide. We want the people to further sensitize others at home not to hurt themselves. They should stop taking laws into their hands.
They should repose confidence in us, and report to their local community leaders in places where there is no security post. They should be our eyes everywhere. I would further want the people to know that they can multiply the police by themselves. That means that the more they cooperate with the police, the better the police will serve them.
You were part of the recent emergency security meeting held at the State House, Damaturu. Could you give us the outcome of the meeting?
The security meeting was informed by the recent happening in Sasawa village, where 18 security personnel lost their lives. The state governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, was concerned. He summoned the security meeting in order to review the entire security system and operation in Yobe State.
I am very happy to announce to you that the outcome was great. Areas of insecurity were looked into critically and the governor promised that whatever he does with any money on security, he will not demand for compensation from the Federal Government. He saw the challenges we have in the NDLEA.
We discovered that most of the crimes were committed under influence of drugs. He promised to alleviate the challenges, support us with logistics.
Actually, we came out of the meeting stronger than before. I wish to use this medium to thank the governor for the concern shown to all the security agencies, especially the police, being the leading agency which is making policing in Yobe State more confident.
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