Nigerian Senate Shocked After Hearing That Foreign Soldiers Now Protect Sokoto Residents

 

The Nigerian Senate was on Tuesday shocked when it was told that over 5,000 Nigerians in troubled parts of Sokoto State have relocated to the Republic of Nigér and that Nigerien army now protects Sokoto residents while Nigerian troops purportedly look the other way.

The lawmaker representing Sokoto East senatorial district, Senator Ibrahim Gobir made this revelation while contributing to a motion on the floor, attributing the development to increased attacks by marauding bandits on local communities.

Senator Sabi Abdullahi from Niger State had in the motion anchored on orders 42 and 52 of the Senate Standing Rules and titled: ‘Urgent Military Action Against Banditry in Niger State’, lamented the daily incidences of armed banditry in his state, saying the situation required urgent intervention.

Gobir, while contributing, disclosed that the people of the Sokoto State are now at the mercy of Nigérien soldiers for protection against armed bandits, lamenting that the Nigerian Army has completely abandoned the target areas.

This development prompted the Upper Legislative Chambers of the National Assembly to ask President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the military for an immediate expansion of their operations against banditry from Katsina and Zamfara to Sokoto and Niger States.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who presided over the plenary, observed that although the security challenges are enormous, they are surmountable. "Nigeria is definitely up to the task and Mr President will deploy the military to the areas for restoration of sanity as gradually being witnessed in Zamfara and Katsina States," he said. 

Revealing that inci­dents in Sokoto were worse than in any other part of the country, Gobir said within the last three months, not less than 300 people in Sokoto East Senatorial District had either been killed or kidnapped by the rampaging armed bandits on a daily basis.

The lawmaker said: “The situation in Sokoto East, as far as armed banditry is con­cerned, is pathetic and tragic because it is only Nigerien army that has been coming to their rescue while the Nigeri­an army looks the other way.

“In fact, based on very reliable and verifiable in­formation from the area, many times the people of the affected areas called on the Nigerian army for help and protection against the bandits, no response.

“But graciously, the Nige­rien army has been assisting in warding off the bandits, the very reason why no few­er than 5,000 people in the af­fected areas have migrated to Niger Republic for safety.”

Senator Gobir further dis­closed that the bandits had rustled hundreds of cows and other animals worth about N2.5 billion. This, according to him, is outside the killings and kidnapping.

According to him, “Fallout of this is grinding poverty ravaging the affected people in form of serious hunger since their cows and other animals are on a daily basis being stolen.

“The situation is so bad that we only get help from Niger Republic and not from Nigeria at all, be it from the military or the police.

“The affected people can­not perpetually be at the mercy of Nigerien soldiers and still expect to proudly see themselves as Nigerians.

“Very urgent and drastic action is required from Pres­ident Buhari through the mil­itary in form of expansion of anti-banditry operation cur­rently being carried out in Zamfara and Katsina states to Sokoto State.”

Standing on Orders 42 and 52 of the Senate stand­ing rules, Senator Abdullahi, who sponsored the motion, lamented the daily occur­rence of armed banditry in Niger State which, he said, required urgent intervention from President Buhari.