COMMUNAL disputes in Kwara State over land would henceforth be treated as criminal offences with severe penalties, the state Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has said.

  Ahmed said yesterday in Ilorin that the government would no longer spare anyone fingered in causing breach of law and order in any part of the state.

  The governor at an interactive forum with reporters and the people of the state said:  "Issues over communal crises have been discovered to be purely economic and idleness. We have therefore, taken various measures to ensure that virtually all those being used as destructive agents in the community are fully engaged.

  "I therefore urged our people to be law abiding. Where there is a breach, we will not tolerate. Land is owned by individuals and not communities. Therefore, anyone who is having an issue over land should go to court. As a government, we would not allow anyone to take law into his hand. It will no longer be called communal feud but criminal act."

Communal crises had in the recent times taken over some communities in the state. These include the internecine imbroglio between Offa and Erin-Ile, Share and Tsaragi and of late intra crisis among the people of Ganmo, in Ifelodun Local Council of the state.

  The government initially working on the theory of land being the sole cause of the renewed crisis had embarked on massive demarcation of lands among the feuding communities. One of such was the construction of a road christened 'Unity Road', to serve as a demarcation line between Offa and Erin-Ile communities.

  But when the crisis persisted, the government had to explore other means that could be responsible for the crisis that claimed many lives and caused wanton destruction of property.

Ahmed, who said the state had concluded plans to bankroll a joint security force consisting personnel from army, air force and Police, warned trouble makers to refrain or leave the state before the hands of law would catch on them.

  Already, the government has procured 40 new patrol vehicles, and equivalent bullet proofs for the success of the security outfit.

  He justified the joint account between the state and the local government areas in the state, adding, "we constructed many rural roads in the state to the tune of N2.8 billion. The roads are owned by these councils and they only contributed N800 million."