Bandits In Charge Of My Communities – Sokoto LG Chairman Laments
The Chairman of Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Alhaji Sharifu Kamarawa, has admitted that bandits are currently running the affairs in some communities within the council and there is nothing he can do to check the unfortunate situation.
Kamarawa, who made the sad disclosure while receiving the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle, at the Local Government secretariat on Thursday, said the bandits led by Kachalla Bello Turji, even go to the extent of appointing and deposing village heads in those areas at will.
According to him; “Here in Isa town, we are living peacefully. The problem is in the eastern part of Isa where there are places that are still under the control of bandits. They appoint and depose village heads there.
“We are appealing for a military camp in Kagara to take care of those areas. We used to have a camp there before it was relocated. Then there was relative peace in those places. So we want the camp back”
However, he acknowledged that since the death of bandits’ kingpin, Halilu Sububu, about a month ago, there had been a significant reduction in attacks on their communities, noting that residents of the areas can now ply some roads that were formerly deserted.
Responding to the Council Chairman’s comments, the Minister assured the communities that President Bola Tinubu was seriously concerned about insecurity in the North, which informed the appointment of Northerners as Ministers of Defence and heads of security agencies.
Matawale, who served as Governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023, said; “The President also directed me to ensure militarisation of all the danger areas in the state. So we are going to create a military base at Gundumi which will be patrolling Gundumi-Marnona road which remained closed for years”.
Further assuring Isa Local Government residents of the government’s readiness to deploy more security operatives to the area, the Defence Minister said; “So we need your support because the issue of security is everyone’s business. We need to know about the bandits’ movement.”