Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule has raised an alarm over the influx of terrorists, bandits and armed herdsmen fleeing security offensives in neighbouring Plateau State into some parts of the State.
Speaking during the expanded security meeting in Lafia, the State capital, Governor Sule said that intelligence provided by security operatives identified some terrorists, bandits and armed herdsmen who fled troubled areas in Mangu Local Government Area (LGA)of Plateau State, around Mangar and Ambaka areas, in Wamba LGA as well as in Lafia East Development Area of Nasarawa State.
Wamba LGA shares border with Plateau State.
“The security crisis recently around Mangu local government area in Plateau State while it’s still ongoing, has led to a lot of migration of people with some of those bandits crossing into our state mostly from Mangu and Bokkos area,” the Governor said.
Governor Sule also expressed concern over the movement of armed herders into the border area between Keana LGA of the State and Guma in Benue State, the notorious crisis point which had led to loss of lives on both herders and Tiv sides as a result of incessant clashes.
He said although the herders are moving into the area for grazing purposes, conflict between the two ethnic groups in the area in the past made the influx of herders to the area presently a cause for concern.
“Recently, there have been movement of herders to part of Keana, this may not pose a big security challenge because they are moving to grazing areas, unfortunately those areas are also problematic because they are at the border between Keana and Guma local government area in Benue State.
“It will be a recipe for problems down the line and around the Tunga area which is our major concern,” he pointed out.
The Governor equally decried the proliferation of illegal production of small arms and ammunition in the state, which he said posed a serious security threat in the state.
Already, the State Police Command have arrested a number of suspected gun runners from Plateau, Katsina and Taraba States in the State.
The Nasarawa Commissioner of Police, Mr. Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba Maiyaki, had told journalists in May that four of the suspected gunrunners from Katsina State were arrested with 400 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, while other suspects who came to the state from Plateau to buy three AK-47 raffles in Asakyo community in Lafia East Development Area were also nabbed.