Governor Emmanuel
Uduaghan of Delta has constituted a taskforce to regulate the activities of herdsmen in the state.
Our correspondent reports that the decision was taken last Wednesday at the state’s Security Meeting with security agencies and traditional rulers in Warri.
Uduaghan said that the taskforce was to ensure maintenance of law and order, adding that he was liaising with the Federal Government on how to achieve the goal.
He said that the taskforce was headed by the Commissioner of Police in Delta, Mr Ikechukwu Aduba.
The governor said the taskforce also drew its membership from the Nigerian Army, State Security Service and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
‘’It also includes three representatives from the traditional rulers’ council and three persons from the Northern Communities residing in Delta.
‘’They include the Commissioner for Environment and his counterpart in Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and three council chairmen.
‘’Others include two members of the state’s House of Assembly, one of whom will be the chairman of the security committee and the office of the Secretary to the State Government.’’
The governor decried the influx of migrants into the state without purposeful motives, saying the development was making people uncomfortable in the state.
Uduaghan said that the taskforce would also identify illegal structures where some migrants hide and hand them over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for evacuation.
While urging the traditional rulers to monitor strange movements in their domains, the governor said he would collaborate with other state governors on ways to address the security challenges.
Uduaghan advised farmers, especially women, to move in groups whenever they wanted to go to their farms for security reasons.
He urged the council chairmen to hold monthly security meetings in conjunction with traditional rulers and the Divisional Police Officers in their respective areas.
Uduaghan also said that the government would review the activities of army checkpoints in the state to address the persistent gridlocks occasioned by the barricades.
Responding, Dr Francis Salisu, the Onu-Igala of Warri, commended the governor for taking steps to address the security challenges in the state.
He said that the Northern communities in Delta would cooperate with the government and report suspicious migrants to the taskforce.
‘’I have spent 44 years in Warri, I had and trained my children in Delta, we will not fold our hands and allow some people to rubbish our good relationship with Deltans,’’ he said.