The pan-northern socio-political organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum, and the Katsina State Government have supported the National Assembly’s call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits terrorising the North-West terrorists.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Emmanuel Yawe, who stated this in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday, said activities of the bandits qualified them to be called terrorists.
The ACF made the call as bandits struck again in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, where they kidnapped no fewer than 27 people, mostly women and children.
The Senate had on Wednesday urged the President to declare bandits in the country terrorists.
The senators said the President should declare a total war on bandits by ordering the bombing of their locations.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives made a similar call.
Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, at the plenary on Thursday, moved a motion of urgent public importance, urging the chamber to back the Senate.
It was titled, ‘Declaration of bandits and their sponsors terrorists.’
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, asked for those who were against the motion but the lawmakers chorused, “No!”
The motion was unanimously adopted through voice vote.
Moving the motion, Benson said, “The Senate, on Wednesday, 29th September, 2021, adopted a motion asking President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits ravaging the northern part of the country terrorists and wage a total war on them. They also asked that the President declare all known leaders of bandits wanted and arrest them wherever they were found for speedy prosecution. Such declaration to be done through a Proscription Order can be done pursuant to Section 2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011 (As Amended).”
Commenting on the call by the National Assembly, the National Publicity Secretary of the ACF, Yawe, said, “We support the call of both houses. The atrocities committed by these people qualify them to be so called.
“In fact, we think they wish to be so called. We do not see any reason why they continue to terrorise Nigerians the way they have done. Why kidnap secondary schoolgirls and rape them for years running? Why kidnap university students and gun some down? They have done all these to qualify as terrorists. They should be called terrorists.”
Also, the Katsina State Commissioner for Information, Mallam Abdulkarim Sirika told The PUNCH that the state was in support of the resolution of both chambers of the National Assembly.
The commissioner said bandits deserved every punishment stipulated by the law considering the havoc they were wreaking in communities.
Also, the Spokesman for the Coalition of 52 Northern Groups, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the coalition supported the National Assembly.
He stated, “We wholeheartedly support any measure including the declaration of the violent bandits as terrorists or whatever label so long as it will lead to the restoration of public safety and security.”
27 abducted in Sokoto
Meanwhile, a resident of Gatawa, a community in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State was killed when bandits abducted 27 people from the community on Wednesday.
This latest attack came six days after the terrorists invaded Burkusuma camp ,a joint military base in the local government area
The member of the state House of Assembly representing Sabon Birni East Constituency, Sa’idu Ibrahim, who disclosed this to one of our correspondents, said villagers, who escaped to the state capital, confirmed this latest development.
Ibrahim, stated, “I was reliably informed by some of those, who were fortunate to escaped that no fewer than 27 people, mostly women and children were abducted and whisked away to unknown destination by the bandits.
“From the report, I gathered that the bandits were targeting security formations in the area. They are now looking for where security operatives are because their morale was boosted by their recent attack on a military formation at Dama, where many soldiers, policemen and civil defence officers were killed.
“They shot two persons, including a woman and burnt three others who hid in a grain store. One of them died instantly while the other two are receiving treatments in the hospital.
“They invaded Gatawa because of the presence of Operation Puff Ader camp in the area. As I am talking to you now, many policemen are still missing. We don’t know whether they were abducted or ran away,” he said.
The state Commissioner for Security Matters, Colonel Garba Moyi (retd), whose house was recently set ablaze in the neighbouring Isa Local Government Area of the state, neither picked nor responded to several telephone calls put across to him.
Twenty- four hours after the attack, the state police command had yet to react. When contacted, the command spokesman, Sanusi Abubakar, said he was in a meeting. He had yet to get back to our correspondent, as of the time of filling this report. Punch
