Army Held 92 Armed Fulani Herdsmen

The New Threat To Nigerian Society

The Nigerian Army has yet to hand over the 92 Fulani herdsmen arrested with arms at a military checkpoint between the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State last week to the police.

Police authorities told our correspondent that the suspects had not been handed over to them almost one week after the herdsmen were intercepted by troops.

The Assistant Director, Army Public Relations of the Guards Brigade, Capt. Bashir Jajira, had announced that 36 of the suspects were arrested by troops, adding that the herdsmen claimed that they were on a mission to recover their stolen cows.

He said 56 others, who were also armed, were arrested by the soldiers at a military checkpoint at Dantata, along the Abuja Airport Road.

He said the troops recovered “one pump action gun, 19 cartridge dane guns, 118 cartridge ammo, 28 cutlasses, three jack knives, 14 sticks, 7 torch lights, certificate of occupancy, assorted charms and hard drugs.”

But senior police officers, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Saturday, said they had yet to see the detainees “who are probably still in military custody.”

An officer stated that the Army might still be ‘processing’ the suspects preparatory to handing them to the police for investigation and prosecution.

“We are yet to receive the herdsmen either at the command or the Force headquarters; you know we work together with the military and they always cooperate and collaborate with us in many things.

“It will be hasty to say the military does not want to hand over the suspects to us, because they have said they will and we are waiting for the handover, so we can commence investigation and prosecute accordingly,” the officer said.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Bisi Kolawole, could not be reached for comments.