Community stakeholders in Sabon Birni and Isa local government areas of Sokoto State on Tuesday refuted a claim that soldiers from Niger Republic are the ones that have been checkmating the activities of bandits in the border communities of the state.
This is as Gov. Aminu Waziri of the state disclosed that a proactive partnership between the state government and that of the federal is in top gear as the latter plans the establishment of a mobile police squadron base in the beleaguered areas of Isa and Sabon Birni local government.
The stakeholders refuted the claim when the Governor led a high-powered delegation of the security chiefs in the state including: the state Police Commissioner, Alhaji Ibrahim Sani Ka’oje, the State Director of the Department of State Security (DSS), Alh. Ibrahim Sallama, the Garrison Commander, Gen. G.A Gara and Group Captain M.A Bello of the Nigerian Airforce among others to the palace of Sarkin Gobir of Sabon Birni local government area to assess and discuss the issue of insecurity occasioned by incessant bandit attacks recently.
According to the community leaders, the statement credited to Senator Ibrahim Gobir representing the south-eastern part of the state is false.
Corroborating what they said, Gov. Tambuwal said that he personally confirmed the spuriousness of the claim after consulting a broad spectrum of stakeholders from the area and the security chiefs in the state.
“There was no time that we received confirmed reports of Nigerien forces straying into an inch or any part of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the guise of coming to salvage the people of Nigeria from armed bandits here in Sokoto state.”
Tambuwal cautioned and appealed to leaders of the areas of Isa and Sabon Birni; and also that of the entire state “not to play politics with the matters of security.”
“We must not play politics with matters of health and development,” he reiterated, pointing out that in furtherance of this the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress, APC, called to inform him that the federal government is planning to establish a new mobile police squadron in the area to nip in the bud activities of the bandits.
The governor while commiserating and condoling the people of the area “on the recent happenings- killings and kidnappings of our people by bandits,” he thanked them for their “support, cooperation and understanding so far.”
Muhammad Bello
Special Adviser Media and Publicity to the Governor
May 26, 2020
Sokoto
