‘Leave Us Alone if You Don’t Want Peace’ – Delta Council Boss Charges Arewa Community

“For a community to be safe, tough measures must be taken,” said Friday Ovoke Warri, Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Area in Delta State, as he urged stakeholders and the Arewa community to maintain peace in the council area.

The chairman gave the admonitions during a stakeholder meeting of representatives of security agencies and leaders of the Arewa community on Thursday in his office in Oleh headquarters of the local government area.

The meeting was called to deliberate on strategies for sustaining peace and tackling emerging security challenges within the local government area.

Warri while reaffirming his administration’s commitment to strengthening security across the council area, declared that proactive measures are necessary to ensure the safety of residents and protect lives and property.

The meeting focused on enhancing collaboration among the local government, security agencies, and the Arewa community through intelligence sharing, improved communication, and other proactive security measures,

Addressing participants, Warri emphasized the importance of respecting the laws of the host communities and maintaining peaceful coexistence even as he reminded members of the Arewa community that they had chosen Nasiru as their leader in Isoko South and urged them to recognize and respect his authority.

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“If you want peace, I’ll give you peace, but if you don’t want peace, you will leave us alone. For a cordial relationship, you chose your own Nasiru as your head in Isoko South. See him as my representative in your Hausa/Fulani community here. If you can’t obey him, it means you don’t respect your leader, and we cannot continue to live together peacefully”

As part of measures to strengthen security, the chairman announced plans for members of the Arewa community to obtain identification cards indicating their occupations and communities of residence.

“For our community to be safe, measures must be taken. We have decided to encourage you in Isoko South to obtain identification cards showing your trade and where you reside. This is to prevent external elements from infiltrating our communities and creating security challenges,” Warri said.

Representatives of the various security agencies present endorsed the initiative, describing the proposed identification system as a vital tool for proper identification and improved security.

They urged members of the Arewa community to cooperate with government directives, noting that while citizens are free to offer suggestions, decisions on security policies remain the responsibility of government.

Speaking on behalf of the Arewa community, the chairman of the Delta State Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board, Alhaji Auwal Tukur, assured the council and security agencies of the community’s readiness to comply with the resolutions reached at the meeting.

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“Delta State is like a home to us, and we will not allow anyone to create problems for us here. We, the leaders of the Arewa community in Delta State, will not allow anyone to come here and cause trouble,” he said.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment by the local government, security agencies, and leaders of the Arewa community to deepen cooperation in promoting peace, unity, and security across Isoko South Local Government Area.