The Gombe State Government on Monday announced a sweeping prohibition of the scrap metal trade, popularly known as Bola Jari, alongside the launch of a mandatory profiling regime for new residents and tenants across the state. The announcement follows an expanded meeting of the State Security Council convened to assess emerging security challenges and recent criminal incidents within the state.
The measures were unveiled by Zubair Umar, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, who briefed journalists after the council meeting presided over by Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya. Umar explained that the ban reflects growing concerns over persistent vandalism of public infrastructure and security risks linked to unregulated scrap metal operations.
Addressing reporters, Umar said the council had reviewed extensive reports on the involvement of scrap metal dealers in the destruction and theft of public properties, including school facilities and critical state infrastructure.
“It observed that operators in the scrap business lack a coordinated structure, recognised leadership and an effective regulatory framework, making their activities difficult to monitor and control,” Umar said.
“In view of these developments, the council has, with immediate effect, banned all Bola Jari activities across the state.”
He stressed that the ban will remain in force until dealers in the sector organise under a recognised leadership, after which the government will designate controlled operating centres supervised by security agencies.
Security analysts have in recent years noted that unregulated scrap metal collection can become a vector for criminal activity, including vandalism and theft, which often feeds into wider insecurity and economic loss, a concern mirrored in parallel enforcement actions in other regions of Nigeria.
In tandem with the scrap trade ban, the council also introduced mandatory profiling of all new residents and tenants moving into the state as part of efforts to strengthen intelligence gathering and improve community safety. Under the directive, individuals seeking to rent or reside in Gombe must have their personal details properly documented, with the information made accessible to security agencies as needed.
“Anyone coming into Gombe State to reside or rent accommodation must have their personal information properly documented. This will allow security agencies to access such information whenever the need arises,” Umar explained, emphasising the policy’s role in curbing criminality and enhancing grassroots security.
The profiling initiative represents part of a broader shift toward preventive security measures, aimed at enabling authorities to track and verify individuals more effectively amid rising concerns about kidnapping, vandalism, and other security threats in parts of the North East region.
Beyond the two headline directives, the Security Council adopted several other measures to strengthen public safety. Umar noted that a committee will be constituted to implement recommendations regarding grazing reserves and cattle routes, a persistent flashpoint in farmer–herder conflicts in the state.
Umar cited an earlier report by a committee chaired by retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Zubairu Muazu (rtd), which reviewed the status of grazing reserves and cattle routes.
“The enforcement committee will ensure that every inch of gazetted grazing reserves and cattle routes encroached upon is fully reclaimed,” Umar added, highlighting the government’s intention to strengthen rural cohesion and reduce clashes between agricultural and pastoral communities.
The Commissioner of Police in Gombe, CP Umar Chuso, also spoke at the briefing, pledging intensified security operations following recent incidents of kidnappings and killings in Pindiga, Akko Local Government Area. Chuso assured residents that security forces were actively tracking down perpetrators and working to rescue abductees safely.
“The police, in collaboration with other security agencies, are tracking down the perpetrators and will ensure that the abductees are rescued unhurt,” Chuso said. He added that investigations would proceed to hold anyone found culpable accountable under the law.
In addition to conventional policing, traditional authority is being mobilised through expanded community surveillance. Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, Emir of Yamaltu, said that vigilante groups and local hunters would work in collaboration with the police to improve responsiveness and local monitoring.
“These local vigilantes and hunters will work hand in hand with the police and other security agencies to ensure holistic security surveillance and enforcement across the state,” the Emir stated.
The governor has also directed that local government chairmen and traditional rulers hold weekly security review meetings to assess developments and coordinate proactive measures, reinforcing a bottom-up approach to public safety.
Security observers say Gombe’s multi-pronged approach reflects an increasing emphasis by state authorities on preventive security planning amid broader regional stability concerns, a trend reflected in other states that have moved to regulate nominally informal sectors and enhance local intelligence networks.
