By Stanley Onyekwere
The Commissioner of Police for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi, has issued a strong warning against night grazing, urban grazing, and the use of underage children to herd cattle within Abuja city centre and its towns.
The CP gave the warning on Monday during a courtesy visit by a delegation of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Socio-Cultural Association (FCT Chapter) at the Command Headquarters in Garki, Abuja.
According to a Press release from, SP Josephine Adeh, Police Public Relations Officer, FCT Police Command, Abuja, the delegation was led by the North-Central Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Gidado Idris Bebeji.
During the meeting, the Miyetti Allah delegation outlined several pressing challenges confronting its members across the FCT, which include: frequent clashes with local farmers and disputes with vigilante groups, threats from kidnappers, cattle rustlers, and targeted attacks on herders.
Others are the deliberate poisoning of cattle by farmers and gradual encroachment of traditional grazing routes by new residential estates, farms, and commercial developments.
The association noted that these factors have collectively escalated tensions between herders, local residents, and host farming communities.
Responding to their grievances, CP Sanusi assured the leaders that issues within the police mandate would be addressed promptly and legally, while external matters would be forwarded to the relevant authorities.
However, the police chief firmly expressed concern over practices that endanger public safety and urban order.
He warned against grazing livestock along major highways and inside urban centers, advising that all herding activities be restricted strictly to the outskirts of the FCT.
He also emphasized that herders must avoid farmlands entirely to prevent the destruction of crops and subsequent disputes.
Furthermore, the Commissioner cautioned both herders and farmers against taking the law into their own hands when conflicts arise.
He placed a strong emphasis on community policing, urging the association to proactively report strange faces and suspicious activities to security agencies.
“Failure to report criminal elements and allowing the Police to discover such persons through other means could result in those involved being treated as accomplices under the law,” CP Sanusi warned.
The meeting concluded with the leadership of the Miyetti Allah association thanking the CP for the audience and pledging their commitment to collaborate closely with the FCT Police Command to foster peaceful coexistence and secure the nation’s capital.
