Minister blames Fulani herdsmen for highway robberies

Tamale, July 7, GNA - Mr Moses Bukari Mabengba, Northern Regional Minister, has blamed Fulani herdsmen for committing highway robberies in the Region. He said the Regional Security Committee had of late noted with conce rn highway robberies on the Tamale-Salaga; Fulfulso Junction-Sawla; Buipe-Kintampo, Savelugu-Diare and Wa-Bamboi roads and had instituted measures to deal with the situation. He said a combined team of Police and Military personnel had been set up to patrol these routes to deal with the problem.

Mr Mabengba, who was addressing the maiden meeting of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council in Tamale on Tuesday, said investigations showed that most of the highway robberies were being committed by Fulani herdsmen and their local collaborators adding that the RESEC had written to National Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of The Inter ior and Ministry of Agriculture about the unbecoming nature of the Fulani herdsmen. The Regional Minister also reiterated his appeal to the public to provide the security agencies with the necessary information to flush out

the criminals.

Mr Mabengba said although the Region was enjoying relative peace, chieftaincy issues, which remained unresolved, were a matter of concern citing the Yendi chieftaincy problem, the Bimbilla Skin and the Buipe cri sis as examples. He said the worst affected area was the Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District, which in recent times has suffered from chieftaincy and land related conflicts.