Farmers, herders carry AK-47, says Lalong

Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, says investigations have revealed that both farmers and herders carry AK-47 rifles.

Lalong, who is also the Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, spoke from Jos, the Plateau State capital, on Tuesday on a Channels TV programme called ‘Sunrise Daily’.

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He underscored the need to put a strong measure in place to stop non-state actors from carrying arms in the country and condemned the violence perpetrated by herdsmen bearing arms.

“Today, we are now seeing the hazard of allowing people to do open grazing here and there.

“But they (herders) also want a solution, by the time you explain to them, they also want to stay in one place, they would also want to keep away from carrying AK-47.

“I am not justifying anybody to carry AK-4, but don’t forget that in the course of our deliberations and investigations, it was not only Fulani herdsmen that were carrying AK-47, but even farmers were also carrying AK-47.

“In order to address the situation, deliberate efforts must be put in place to curtail the influx of light arms while other ways such as the National Livestock Transformation Programme (NLTP) must be embraced to take these people away from the old type of farming and then introduce them to the modern system,” he added.