'We opted for dialogue with bandits, terrorists' – Stakeholders

<h2></h2>, <h2>A cross section of farmers, community leaders, security agents and other stakeholders in Jigawa, Gombe, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara have given reasons behind their decision to adopt dialogue in addressing peculiar security challenges in their areas.</h2>, <p>According to the stakeholders, dialogue is important in addressing the crisis even if it is on temporary basis.</p>, <span>'We opted for dialogue with bandits, others' – Stakeholders</span>, <p>The stakeholders spoke in separate interviews while responding to a survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the security challenges in the country. According to them, dialogue is important in addressing the crisis even if it is on temporary basis.</p>, <p>They however all agreed that full scale security offensive is necessary to completely wipe out bandits and other terrorists in the long run.</p>, <p>In Gombe State, which faces the challenge of farmers-herders clashes, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Oqua Etim said the command has been successfully tackling farmland invasions through effective dialogue among stakeholders.</p>, <p>He said that the clashes between farmers and pastoralists is gradually becoming “a thing of the past” since the adoption of dialogue to amicably address it. Etim said that he engaged stakeholders and worked out strategies that helped address the problem in the state.</p>, <p>He also said the state government had constituted an assessment committee of grazing lands and cattle routes to prevent further encroachment of the routes by farmers.</p>, <p>”If farmers encroach, they would be advised to vacate.</p>, <p>“We equally met with the representatives of the herders and cautioned them against encroachment of cultivated farmlands.</p>, <p>“As humans, we are bound to have quarrels because even the tongue at times gets harassed by the teeth.</p>, <p>“In that case, we can never say we don’t have a friction but it has reduced to the barest minimum.”</p>, <p>The commissioner of police said clear policies had been laid out to guide