Northern Govs adopt community policing – Lalong

The Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, says his counterparts have agreed to key into the community policing to tackle the security challenges facing the region.

Governor Lalong said this yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while fielding questions from journalists after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the gunmen attack on Mangu

Local Government Area (LGA) of his State which claimed 13 lives.

The governor said normalcy had been restored to the area as his prompt visit to the scene stopped reprisal attack that had already claimed three lives.

He said the “patriotic youth” of the local government challenged the gunmen, arrested four attackers who were handed over to the police and rescued 100 cows from the rustlers who later returned with sophisticated weapons to kill people.

Lalong, who was asked whether his colleagues in the north central would consider putting up a security outfit like “Amotekun” in South West, said, “When you talk about North Central, I am chairman of Northern Governors Forum, we have taken a decision sometime last year. You will recall that at one time we met the president and we told him what we were doing. We set up committees and the committees have worked very hard. You will recall that we started our meeting from the North West in Katsina. We are going back to have another meeting in North Central.

“The situation in the South might not be the same with the North. But in the North, we are also looking at some ways that will also address these issues. So, we have gone ahead to set up committees, those committees have done their work and we are going to meet to address these issues once and for all,” Lalong noted.

On his visit to the President and the details of what transpired during the attack, Governor Lalong said, “I have just seen Mr President. There was also an attack early yesterday (Thursday) and up to the afternoon when I got there.”