FG Should Declare State Of Emergency Over Banditry — Sokoto Governor

Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has again asked the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on banditry to enable security operatives’ access to clear bandits’ enclaves and other hideouts.

 The Governor, who is leading a state that suffers from banditry suggested this on Wednesday in Sokoto, when he received a delegation from the Northwest State Governors Forum. 

The delegation was led by Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State on a condolence visit over the killing of 23 travellers in Sokoto State by bandits. 

He said that if President Muhammadu Buhari declares the state of emergency, it will give security operatives additional operational laws to ensure maximum success in their operations. 

“Bandits have no religious, ideological or ethnicity inclinations; they were notorious criminals terrorizing law-abiding citizens,’’ he said. 

He also advised the Federal Government to initiate processes for recruiting locals in the areas affected by banditry to complement the efforts of mainstream security personnel to tackle the menace.

“The recruited persons shall serve as Special Forces equipped with right skills and modern firearms to confront bandits since the locals know the terrains.”

“After the special mission, the recruited persons could be re-engaged as forest guards to prevent new security challenges., he added”.

 The Governor maintained that all hands must be on deck to solve the menace, he also urged the citizenry to expose people supporting banditry in any form, especially the informants.

 He also expressed appreciation of the governor’s forum for the solidarity visit and the donation of N50 million to support affected families.

 Earlier, Governor Masari said the visit was to commiserate with Tambuwal over the unfortunate attacks and the loss of lives.

 He noted that states in the northwest are faced with similar challenges and that the governors had been collaborating to tackle banditry.

Masari stressed also that it is time for citizens and communities to stand up to protect themselves.