The Police Command in Sokoto state has debunked the claims of an influx of Jihadists in the state.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Cordelia Nwawe, made this known while addressing newsmen on Saturday in Sokoto.
Recall that some social media had carried reports of jihadists converging on the state on Friday.
Nwawe told journalists, “our attention was drawn toward a report that some unknown herdsmen were sighted in Gudu and Tangaza local government called Jihadists fully armed to destroy the peace in the area. The situation was misreported based on our intelligence report.
“The herdsmen sighted are reasonably believed to be Malians who reside in a forest in Niger Republic, sharing border with Gudu and Tangaza local government areas of the state.
“The herdsmen are annual visitors to the nearby forest bordering the two local governments with their cattle and always stayed in the forest in Niger Republic.
“Even though the number of their cattle increased exponentially this year to about 3,000 from the usual figures of less than 1000, it was discovered that they are not known to be violent.
“Moreover, they occasionally enter the villages in the two local governments to procure food and other essentials and retire back to the forest.”
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She urged residents of the areas not to panic but to go about their normal business, assuring that police were always there to protect their lives and properties.
She however called on the people to always assist police with useful information that could lead to the success of the command in the state.
