The chairman of Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Alhaji Sharifu Kamarawa, has disclosed that bandits led by Bello Turji take liberty to appoint and depose village heads in some communities within the council area.
He disclosed this when the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, visited some communities in eastern Isa, Sabon Birni and Goronyo local government areas of the state.
According to the chairman, the Turji-led bandits appoint and depose village heads at will in those areas.
He said, “The problem is in the eastern part of Isa. There are places that are still under the control of bandits. They appoint and depose village heads there.
“We are appealing for a military camp in Kagara to take care of those areas. We used to have a camp there before it was relocated. There was relative peace in those places then. So, we want the camp back.”
The chairman, however, said there had been a significant reduction in attacks on the communities since bandit kingpin Halilu Sububu was killed about a month ago.
He said the people could now use some roads which were formerly deserted.
In an interview with newsmen, a certain Galadima, who is the head of a village called Duroh, which is located between Sabon-Birni and Isa local government areas, said he was the only person who remained in the area.
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Galadima explained that all the other villagers left for fear of being attacked or killed by bandits.
“I am the village head of this community. Even though I also don’t sleep here, I am the only one coming to this place on a daily basis; every other person has relocated to other places like Sabon Birni.
“Nobody can stay here, especially in the night, for fear of attack. I only come here during the day to farm and before dawn, I move to the next village where I sleep.
“Our people are ready to return home if the government can help us to provide security. I will ensure my people come back to continue our daily activities,” he said.
In his speech, Matawalle called on governments in the North West states to cooperate with the Federal Government in dealing with insecurity in the region.
Matawalle said President Tinubu was concerned about insecurity in the North, a reason why he appointed northern ministers of defence and heads of security operatives.
He said: “The President also directed me to ensure militarisation of all the danger areas in the state.
“So, we are going to create a military base at Gundumi, which will be patrolling the Gundumi-Marnona Road, which has remained closed for years.
“Three formations will be set up in Isah and Sabon Birni local government areas and the formations will be located at Gundumi in Isa as well as Mailalle and Tsamaye in Sabon Birni.
“I can assure you that efforts will be intensified in the fight against banditry. Already, some of their leaders have been eliminated.”
The minister lamented the activities of informants of bandits, saying more attention would be focused on them.
He assured residents of Isa, Sabon Birni and Goronyo local government areas of deployment of more security operatives in the areas.
“So, we need your support because the issue of security is everyone’s business. We need to know about the bandits’ movement,” he said.
Kazeem Badmus is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience. A professional in journalism and media writing, Kazeem prioritses accuracy and factual reportage of issues. He is also a dexterous finder of the truth with conscious delivery of unbiased and development oriented stories.
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