Adebayo Fajinmi
Despite Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu’s resolve to intensify the pursuit of putting an end to insecurity in the state through the provision of necessary moral and material support to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, and President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s threat during an interview with Arise TV in June 2021, that his government will treat bandits in the language they understand and that Nigerians will start seeing improvements in the poor security situation soon, bandits are still tormenting the people of Kebbi state.
A resident of Zuru, in Zuru local government area of Kebbi, Mr. Dauda Sule revealed this while narrating his ordeals to TOS NEWS.
Kebbi is a state in northwest Nigeria, bordered to the east and north by the states of Sokoto and Zamfara, and to the south by Niger state, and is one of the states being ravaged by bandits.
Mr. Sule said what the bandits used to do is that, “they would allow us to farm and when it is time to harvest, they would come and destroy our farms knowing fully well that we do not have other means.”
According to him, many of the attacks happened in the villages surrounding Zuru and in Danko/Wasagu local government.
He said, “I served in Abuja for about eleven years. So, in 2017, I came home to settle down. I got about 17 acres of land for agricultural purpose, far away from Zuru where I stay. When it was time for me to harvest, the bandits came, put fire on the farm, burn everything and killed some people on the farm. This is the challenges we are facing.
“This problem is incessant. For instance, last week in Danko/Wasagu local government, a husband and wife were attacked. The bandits, who were three in number attacked them on their farm. They told them that they have been warned not to go to farm this year. Their hand were, therefore, cut off.”
Speaking on the impacts of insecurity on the communities, Mr. Sule said, majority of people are battling with hunger as they could no longer got to their farm to work regularly.
“Bandits have really plunged many into hunger because we could no longer go to farm as usual. As I speak with you, I am presently into humanitarian works with a non-governmental organisation called Rural Development Society. We used to go to Internally Displaced Persons’ camp to distribute food and other items to people. This situation is terribly bad.
When asked if the government has made tremendous move, he said, “yes”. “But the problem we have is that the bandits have informants among us. Any time the government want to send soldiers to this area, they would run. The moment the troops leave, they would show up. We are appealing to authorities to please help us change strategy in securing our lives.”
In May, armed bandits attacked a tomatoes company at Wara village under Ngaski local government area of Kebbi state, Vanguard Newspaper, reported, adding that the bandits moved to Ngaski village where they killed a trader and looted his valuables and took hostage some undisclosed number of women in the same village.
