Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has vowed that the government would go after bandits and their informants in order to ensure the safety of lives and property of law abiding citizens across the state.
The governor made this known when he paid a sympathy visit to his hometown Duguri in Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state yesterday and said that his administration would not allow criminals to continue terrorising the law abiding citizens anywhere in the state.
Mohammed who was speaking over incessant banditry attacks and kidnappings in some communities across the state, alleged that some informants were feeding the criminals with information which he said government is monitoring their activities and would soon catch up with them.
He said: “I have the singular honour to commiserate with the people of Duguri, my home town over the death of some people and the abduction of so many sons and daughters of this area.
“But as the security agencies would always say, this cannot happen without collaboration with some obnoxious elements within us, including some members of our traditional institution, even some security.”
Mohammed stated that his administration has already requested the two traditional district heads in the area to look inward with a view to addressing the situation.
“We are looking, inward so that we can arrest this issue of compromise and information giving to the bandits. There is no way somebody from Zamfara or somewhere will visit that secluded place like Shaffa and kill someone unless he has an informant,” Mohammed said.
The governor, who noted that the security agencies could not do it alone, pointed out that the state government has established a system of feedback.
Mohammed lamented that some people within the society are even feeding the bandits in their secret place by giving them grains and flour, and said that the state government is closely monitoring and would catch them.
“That is the report I received, and we are going to go after such people no matter how highly placed they are to make our people safe and secure. You must give us feedback through the district head, through the village head or through anybody you know.”
Mohammed who said he has been having sleepless night as a governor that his people are being killed, pointed out that “this is where I grew up, this is where I came to this world and became whatever l became.
“It is nonsense for me to be whatever and my people are being killed. After all, our people have a culture of self-reliance and our people are known for farming, they are known for heroism, I don’t know where and how such people will come and overwhelm us.”
The governor charged the people of the area to rebuild their courage and come out and be vigilant instead of being killed in their rooms.
