Agency Reporter
The Gombe State Police Command said on Friday that it had engaged different stakeholders at the grassroots to avert future clashes in the state.
There were recent clashes between Waja and Lunguda tribes as well as a land dispute between Filiya and Shongom districts in Balanga and Shongom Local Government Areas respectively.
Police Commissioner Ishola Babaita told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe that the engagement was a continuous process in line with the community-policing approach to fighting crimes.
Babaita said that the level of dialogue and engagement by all stakeholders in Gombe State which led to several reconciliation meetings at the grassroots was impressive and had helped to restore peace.
According to him, there is no conflict that does not result in loss of lives and destruction of property and that is the reason there have been several engagements with key community leaders to dialogue on ways of promoting peace.
According to him “ Police are mindful of the damage that clashes can cause and that’s why we were proactive in our response to the recent crises to ensure that lives and property were not destroyed while maintaining peace and order.”
He added: “We are engaging all stakeholders in our various communities to ensure that we build that relationship where they are more comfortable to provide us with intelligence report to prevent clashes before they happen.’’
He said there is no excuse for anyone to take laws into their own hands no matter how highly placed, and advised community members to resort to lawful means in addressing issues in the interest of peace.
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