Gill Onwudiwe, a security expert of the American Emergency Alert System, has proffered that training the locals with the newly invented emergency alert systems could end the herdsmen attacks among other violent crimes in the communities.
This was even as Rev. Father Kizito Onyeka, a Catholic priest in Imo state, Sunday, said as result of the level of reported killings in the country, the citizens are in search of a good shepherd to rescue them.
Onwudiwe, who looked at the possible solutions to the spate of killings linked to herders in the country, rolled out it strategies to end the scourge, noting “We came up with this one of siren. I got into it. I was shocked what siren can do. In the process, we found out that it is already used in Saudi Arabia, North Korea, in Israel, it is multi-purpose used programme. The way I want to use it in Nigeria has never being used anywhere. It is to fight local crimes.
“From kidnapping to assassination, herdsmen, cattle rustling, every violent crime it takes care of it. What it does is informing people when there is danger. It does it in a way you don’t need police and you don’t need Army. The only thing you need is telephone, you call a dedicated number and the control room will set up the siren at strategic positions.
“And every human being that has eye and ear will know that something is going on somewhere. And then we shall train some local people to be manged by local chiefs, to do what they are suppose to do and lock down their local areas whenever they hear the sound and nobody goes in nobody goes out.
“At that point, the only people you can see are the culprits because they will be in a hurry go out of the area. And the populace will identify those who are in a hurry to leave this town.
“We also have another one, SOS, when you see that people are pursuing you and you can’t make a phone call, you just press a button and your car will make a call and tell the control room where you are.”
In his sermon at St Matthias station at Urratta, Owerri North local government area, Rev. Onyeka urged the electorates ahead of 2019 general election not to sell their conscience in exchange for material things.
According to the priest who was worried over the series of reported killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen said, “There is massive killings and bloodshed in Nigeria. This is because those called to be shephered are not really shepherd. Let me tell you, we have a massive failure of leadership.
“If you look around you will see that the country is in search of a good shepherd. What we are seeing are people; who are parading themeselves as shepherd but they are not shepherd.
“The level of dissatisfaction, the confusion, the fears are clear indication that the leadership have failed. It shows that there are no shepherds. This is while we are in search of a shepherd.
“Very soon, an election will start and some of us will go ahead and sell our consciences over a plate of porridge. A bag of rice and many other material things. Remember, when you are doing that you are voting into power those who are coming in guise of a shepherd.”
