Armed Banditry: “If FG fails to help us, we’ll defend ourselves”- Sen. Sani Musa warns
… Wants FG to set up Military Base in affected LGAs
By Daniel Okpole Atori
As banditry attacks on the people of Niger State continued incessantly, the Senator Representing Niger East Senatorial District in Niger State, Mohammed Sani Musa has on Tuesday warned that if the Federal Government does not take necessary steps to stem the tide of banditry attacks in his constituency the youths are ready to defend themselves.
In a statement signed by his Legislative Aide, Sagir Tafida, the Lawmaker expressed displeasure over the seeming inability of the government to find lasting solution to the security challenge in the area.
He Senator stated this while reacting to the attacks by bandits at Kundu and Yakila in Rafi Local Government area on Saturday which left at least four policemen killed, many villagers wounded and kidnapped. And the latest attack on Monday in Erena, Shiroro local government area where bandits also killed at least three persons and displaced over five hundred residents.
Accordingly, he said “my heart is pained seeing the bloodletting in my constituency. Women are raped and killed. Men are maimed and children rendered fatherless. This development is really sad, especially that it has remained a recurring decimal.
“We have made several appeals to the federal government, we paid courtesy visit to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari on our predicament. But, yet no end to these marauders carnage as they keep killing and maiming our people”.
Further, he warned that “the youths in my constituency have decided henceforth to defend themselves in view of the failure of the federal government to address the lingering challenge.
“We have tried to calm them down all this while, assuring them of federal government’s intervention. Now they have lost hope, and are deciding to defend themselves in any way they can, as they lost hope that the federal government will do any justice to their plights.”
It should be recalled that, Senator Sani Musa had in March this year appealed to President Buhari on the need to direct the Nigerian Army to set up a permanent base in some of the affected local government areas to help scare away the bandits.
According to him the military base would be better than the current makeshift arrangement where troops are only deployed when there is an attack and withdrawn as soon as there is relative calmness only for the bandits to attack almost immediately. But, the Federal Government is yet to give the directive.
“I am therefore appealing to President Buhari once again to direct the military to establish a permanent Base in the affected local government areas, especially those bordering other states. This will go a long way in tackling the situation,” Senator Sani Musa said.
Since the renewed attacks by bandits in Niger East, at least hundreds of lives have been lost, and thousands of people have been displaced. Thousands of cattle have also been rustled while properties worth millions of Naira have also been destroyed.
Senator Sani Musa has however appealed to the people not to take the law into their hands, but continued to hope in government, assuring them that he would continue to push and plead for help until help comes their way.
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