Ben Dunno, Warri
The Delta state Police Commissioner, Mr. Muhammed Ali, has warned criminal elements hiding under the pretense of rearing cattles to commit heinous crimes to vacate the state, as he would not tolerate any act of criminality being perpetrated in the name of herdmen within his coverage areas.
The new police Commissioner read the riot act to the criminal herdsmen during his courtesy visit to the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondent Chapel, on Wednesday to solicit synergy with the Journalists in the area shortly after his first official visit to the Warri Area Command.
Reacting to the question on how to handle the sensitive issue of criminal fulani herdsmen in the state, especially being a northern himself, CP Ali noted that he remained a very detribalised law enforcer who believes in going after criminals regardless of ethnic bias or religious sentiments.
He stated all through his years in service as a police officer wherever he was being posted to serve, he never had the course to carryout his duties based on any form of sentiments, stating that his records are always there for people to profile and verify the truth in his claim.
“I see crime as a crime and whenever I’m going after you as a law enforcer, i don’t compromise my position. And once i succeeded in arresting you, i don’t care about your tribe or religion when prosecuting you because you as a criminal do not consider any of such during your operations as well”.
“The fact am from the north does not guaranty my safety when armed robbers who are northerners are operating anywhere and infact, they wouldn’t even ask you about your tribe at that point. So why would i have spare or show mercy to criminals because they are northerners? Not me. I won’t do that, he stated.
Accordingti him; “The last thing i will do is to bring ethnic or religious bias in discharging my duties and primary responsibility of protecting lives and property. And that’s why am sounding this warming to the crimal herdsmen to start leaving the state because it would no longer be a safe haven for them to operate”.
“For the herdsmen who are law abiding, they can be rest assured of a conducive environment for them to operate and do their business but for those who are criminally minded, i assure that they would meet a very strong resistance with me and my men acrooss the state”.
He urged the members of the communities to also see the issue of security as a collective responsibility of everyone and try as much as possible to be more vigilante and sensitive to their environment by observing stranger in their midst and report such to the appropriate quarters.
The police boss maintained that this had become very important in crime fighting as the police cannot be everywhere at the same time to know what happening in those areas without useful information from the indigenes of those locality.
Pic shows the Delta state police Commissioner, Mr. Muhammed Ali, flanked by his men, addressing newsmen during a courtesy visit to the NUJ Press Centre, Warri Correspondent Chapel