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Save Us From Killers, Bandits, Sultan, CAN, Northern Leaders Tell Buhari

The Sultan of Sokoto and some Northern leaders, yesterday, made a passionate plea to President Muhammadu Buhari to end the spate of insecurity ravaging the country, The Guardian reports.

Leading the charge, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, lamented that terrorists kill people on a daily basis in the northern part of the country, especially in the Northwest, and the killings are mostly not reported.

This is just as the Sultan called on Christians to disregard the recent threat by some persons who warned that those found attending churches in Zamfara State would be killed.

Speaking at the fourth quarter meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) with the theme, ‘NIREC, Security Agencies and Peace in Nigeria’, the Sultan, who is also the Co-Chair of NIREC, said there is no single day that passes without people being killed in the North.

“If I continue talking about the insecurity in the North, we will not leave this room. A few days ago, we were witnesses to the media reports on how people were killed in a bus in Sokoto. There is no single day that passes without people being killed in the North, but we don’t hear it.

“I will not stop going to the mosque to pray because I saw in a paper that if I go to the mosque, I will be killed, let me be killed, I must die, so Christians should not be afraid of going to church to worship because an anonymous person is threatening them,” he said.

He said Nigeria has a series of challenges facing it, and if leaders don’t wake up and come together to understand the issues facing the country, the challenges will escalate.

“Let’s not deceive ourselves, everything is not alright. I have said this so many times, and to know that you have a problem, you have part of the solution. The earlier we rise up to the occasion, come together, the better for us,” the Sultan noted.

In his remarks, president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Samson Ayokunle, lamented that Nigerian roads have become a den of kidnappers and a no-go-area for travellers.

Ayokunle who is also the Co-Chair of NIREC, wondered why persons would be kidnapped and the security forces cannot trace the kidnappers to their hideout and rescue the victims.

“Travelling from one point to another by road in particular has become a very great risk. Kidnappers are everywhere and they don’t only come out to kidnap but also to kill, so you don’t know who the next victim is going to be.

“Why should these people be killing and hiding people in our territory without being challenged, why should it be easy for them to hide people somewhere within the state and the security agencies will not be able to fish them out?”, he queried.

Elite of Sabon Birni council of Sokoto, under the auspices of Gobir Development Association, have written to President Buhari over the constant killings of their people by terrorists.

The letter came 24 hours after bandits ambushed a vehicle conveying some seasonal migrants at Gidan Bawa village in the council, set it on fire and watched the passengers burn to death. The 23 victims were buried on Wednesday.

The leaders in the letter yesterday said they “felt scandalised, traumatised and demoralised by the constant butchering of their people by the terrorist groups operating in three local governments in Sokoto East Senatorial Districts: Isa, Sabon Birni and Goronyo as well as Shinkafi Local Government Area in Zamfara State.”

The letter read: “The above communities are daily attacked by terrorists with brazen impunity, killing, maiming, raping and destroying our people and their means of livelihood for no apparent reason.

“Their impunity has become so brazen to the extent of imposing themselves as rulers and expropriating anything they fancy from the people, including but not limited to cash, taxes, food supply, drugs and sometimes maidens.

“Your Excellency, we have earlier on written a similar complaint after a gory incident that occurred at Garki village, 5km away from Sabo Birni, where over 80 people were gruesomely murdered in cold blood in a single night.

“At that time, we were so awe stricken that we hardly had time to bury the dead bodies when the murderous terrorists hit again in another village about 10km away from there, known as Dakwaro, followed in quick succession by Gajit, Lajinge, Tarah, Unguwar Lalle, Kurawa, Gangara, Garin Idi and virtually every village around the axis leaving behind in their trail blood, tears, smoke, ashes and smoldered farmlands.”

The leaders promised to accord the security agencies all necessary assistance in discharging their duties.

It was gathered that bandits have heightened their activities to stop villagers from deserting their communities because of the levy imposed on them. The constant attack on travellers along Sabon Birni-Isa-Shinkafi road was part of their plan to prevent the exodus of villagers.

A resident of Sabon Birni, who spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed how that road had been littered with burnt vehicles as a result of bandits’ attacks. “There are over 10 burnt vehicles along that road. Some of the passengers were killed, some abducted and some sustained injuries,” the source said.

Armed bandits operating in Zurmi Council of Zamfara State have reportedly demanded the sum of N10 million as a fine from some communities under their control.

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Copyright 2021 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to  www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.

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