Authorities in Adamawa State have been alerted to an influx of large herds of cattle into Shellenge, a local government area south of the capital, Yola.
A pro-peace non-government organisation, Peace Architecture Dialogue (PAD), which said the herds were fleeing insecurity in Borno State, expressed concern that they pose security threats to their new neighbourhoods.
The organisation which put the number of the said herds at about 15,000, asserted that the presence of such large numbers of cattle has heightened tensions between farming communities and herders “in an area known for recurrent skirmishes between both groups”.
The PAD Chairman in Adamawa State, Vidon Jaule, said during a press briefing in Yola that in view of a potential conflict, deployment of more security personnel in the local communities has become necessary.
“Such deployment should be supported by appeal to farming and herder communities on collaborative conduct against crisis,” he added.
Stressing that criminality has been fueled by the lack of security presence in most local communities, Jaule said, “Government as a matter of urgency, needs to prioritize the establishment of more police outposts in flash points of farmer-herder hostilities in the seven local government areas of Numan, Lamurde, Demsa, Guyuk, Mayo-Belwa, Girei and Shelleng as part of early warning response to potential conflict.”
He said there is a well documented complaint among communities in the seven LGAs of the challenge of not having police presence at the right places, adding that his organisation believes in the need for state policing and strengthening of security apparatus at local levels.
According to him, PAD has been working for harmony between herders and farmers in Adamawa State since 2014.