The Gombe State government has banned all scrap dealers’ activities across the state as part of measures to improve security.
Zubairu Umar, the attorney-general and commissioner for justice, disclosed this at a news conference on Monday, following the State Expanded Security Council meeting chaired by Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Mr Umar said the ban was necessitated by the absence of a central union for scrap dealers and reports of illegal and unwholesome activities linked to the business.
“We received security reports indicating non-cooperation among scrap dealers, as security agencies could not identify a central union to engage with,” he said.
According to him, multiple associations with divergent views operate within the sector, making regulation and monitoring difficult.
Mr Umar said, “Because of the unwholesome and illegal activities of some involved, the State Security Council has, with effect from today, banned all Bola-jari (scrap dealers) activities across the state.”
He said the ban would remain in place until dealers agreed to operate under unified leadership, register with relevant authorities, and relocate to designated government-provided locations.
Mr Umar added that anyone caught violating the ban would be arrested, noting that the police had been directed to enforce the decision.
In a related development, the commissioner said the state would begin profiling prospective tenants as part of efforts to strengthen internal security.
“People are coming into the state and taking up residence without proper documentation as to who they are, where they are from, and the nature of their visit,” he said.
Mr Umar said the Ministry of Justice would develop a standard template and distribute it to house agents, making tenant profiling mandatory.
He said completed forms would be submitted to the Gombe State Security, Traffic, and Environmental Corps (GOSTEC) for record-keeping and security monitoring.
The commissioner added that the state government was reviewing its security architecture to address emerging threats and sustain peace.
Meanwhile, the commissioner of police in the state, Umar Chuso, said efforts were ongoing to apprehend perpetrators of the recent attack on the Pindiga community.
Mr Chuso said the attack resulted in the death of two persons, while four others were kidnapped.
He said the police, in collaboration with other security agencies and local hunters, were working to secure the release of the abducted victims.
Mr Chuso reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property across the state.
(NAN)