Billiri protest: Police Admonishes communities to seek redress through lawful means

Aggrieved communities have been urged by the Gombe State Police Command to take the right and lawful channels in seeking redress rather than taking laws into their hands.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Mary Malum, made this call in a statement, in respect to the to the barrication of the Gombe to Yola highway for five hours by some women in Billiri town of the state on Friday.

According to The Nation, The women were protesting, on Thursday,the death of their kinsman in a dispute over farmland with neighboring community in Shongom LocalGovernment Area.

The Police PRO urged paramount rulers in the community to wade into the matter and admonish their people to sheath their sword for peace to reign, becaause without peace there would be no meaningful development.

The command lamented that the age-long historical rivalry amongst communities in Billiri, Kaltungo and Shongom Local Government areas had been causing breach of the peace.

According to him, one David Stephen in Kufai village of Billiri Local Government Area was killed as a result of misunderstanding over a farmland, this instigated women in the community to protest by blocking the Gombe to Yola highway that passes through their town.

Malum added that normalcy was restored in the area only when police officers were deployed to the area.

She added that arrests had been made and weapons recovered, adding that the suspects are being profiled, pending further investigations.