FULANIS IN parts of the Northern Region will henceforth be issued with identification tags with essential security features like bearer�s picture, name and community of residence to enable them to be identified.
The new security measure, which will be a pilot project, is said to begin in the East Gonja District of the Northern Region which in recent times has become the hub for nefarious activities involving Fulanis.
The East District Chief Executive (DCE), Alhassan Mumuni, who announced the new measure during a meeting between members of the District Security Council (DISEC), chiefs of local communities and the leadership of alien herdsmen in the area, expressed hope it would curtail the needless crimes in the district.
The meeting was also organized for DISEC to have a direct interaction with the leadership of the Fulani herdsmen in order to find solutions to the deteriorating security situation, especially rampant armed robberies going on the district.
The East Gonja District, for some time now, has become an operational ground for the nefarious activities of alien Fulani herdsmen due to its vast unoccupied land and suitable pasture for animal grazing.
Armed robbery, destruction of farm crops, rape and cattle rustling are very rampant in the district and they are believed to be the handiwork of these aliens.
Arrested suspects of all these crimes, according to victims, turned out to be Fulanis who, under the pretext of taking care of their cattle, abused the privileges extended to them by indigenes.
Since the beginning of 2011, there have been several armed robbery attacks on the Tamale-Salaga and Salaga- Bimbilla roads where passengers were robbed of their belongings and other valuables.
The worrying situation forced the East Gonja District Security Council (DISEC) to come up with a series of strategies to nip the activities of these miscreants believed to be Fulanis in the bud.
One of such moves unanimously agreed on by the security capos is the issuance of identification tags with essential security features.
Disclosing details of the assembly�s efforts in providing security to ensure that peace and harmony prevailed in the district for the promotion of socio-economic development, the DCE acknowledged that the ECOWAS protocol provided that members of the sub-region could move freely for three months.
He however cautioned that it should be done through the acquisition of necessary travelling documents from the Ghana Immigration Service.
Alhassan Mumuni indicated that the promotion of good neighborliness could not be sacrificed to allow the Fulanis to continue to torment the citizens of Ghana and threaten development of the East Gonja district.
He disclosed that the provision of a police station at Kpelbe, regular police patrols on the Tamale-Salaga roads, mounting barriers at Gidanturu, Kpalbusi and the formation of community watch dog committees in all communities were all aimed at reducing the crime rate in the district.
These measures, he said, together with the identification tags, would check the movement of Fulanis.
On his part, the regional security liaison officer, Ruben Katchikpo Tettehn, stated that Fulanis� activities across the country were a source of worry because the increasing rate of armed robbery in the country was unacceptable.
He advised the leadership of the Fulanis to co-operate with security agencies and community leadership, and report all Fulanis with suspicious characters.
This, he said, was because the security services could conduct swoops in areas that harbored Fulanis in order to prevent criminal acts and when they were done, the law-abiding Fulanis were likely to be affected.Representatives of the Fulanis also expressed concern about unprovoked attacks from members of the local communities.
They promised to collaborate with all stake holders to ensure that crimes were reduced and reiterated their commitment to reporting suspicious Fulanis to the security agencies.
<<Print>>