Expose suspicious persons around you, Bauchi NOA director tells citizens

The Bauchi State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Nura Yusuf Kobi on Thursday, advised the people of Ganjuwa and Warji Local Government Areas of Bauchi State not to hesitate reporting any suspicious movement of persons around them to the relevant authorities so as to curtail the activities of perpetrators of violence in their midst in order to maintain peace in the state.

The Director gave the advice during a one-day sensitisation forum captioned, “the impact of kidnapping and illegal mining activities”, in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

The forum which was organized by the agency according to Kobi, was aimed at improving relationship between the various communities and security agents towards sharing of useful information that could assist in fishing out people with questionable character within community members for the maintenance of peace and security not only in Bauchi state but the country at large.

The NOA Director assured residents of confidential treatment of information to avoid been victimised by the criminals after the are giving bail.
“By giving out useful information, it means you are providing intelligent information to security agencies which could lead to the arrest of the suspects within you, and peace will prevail in the society”, he said.
According to him, the master minders of mischief were living comfortably within communities.

“Members of the communities should inform security agents on any person that is involved in any act of violence, performing criminal activities or any social vices because they stay among us and live within the communities”.
“We should expose any person involve in such act irrespective of family relationship because we have to make sacrifices for peace to prevail,” he added.

Kobi noted that Ganjuwa and Warji local government areas are richly endowed with natural resources, hence the need for the people of the area to guard them against illegal miners who sneaks in to steal them to enrich themselves.
He however added that if the the mineral resources are fully tapped, it is capable of creating job opportunities to the youth, thereby reducing the rate of unemployment in the state.

Also speaking, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ganjuwa LGA, Suleiman Mohammed Tambuwal said that the Nigeria Police has various platforms for community policing to safe guard members of the public, and the division under his watch has kept criminals under check, adding that there has been drastic reduction in the cases of kidnapping and other criminal tendencies in the area.

He said that with such collaboration between community members and the security agencies, peace and security would be maintained.
In his welcome address, the District Head of Ganjuwa who is also the Madakin Bauchi, Alhaji Dr Baba Mohammed Gidado thanked NOA for the visit, assuring that in his position as the traditional head of the area he will continue to collaborate with both religious leaders, local chief as well as his entire subjects with a view to maintaining peace and security in his domain.

He said that there is the need to improve on neighborhood safety and community policing saying, “security is a thing of concern for all, NOA should sensitize both Fulani herdsmen and farmers on peace and security matters in communities”.

Participants at the forum include; market men and women, traditional and religious leaders, women leaders, security agents amongst others who all bare their minds on the need to report suspicious persons to the relevant authorities so as to ensure peace and security of lives and properties for the socio- economic development of Bauchi state.

From Samuel Luka, Bauchi