As Gbagyi ethnic communities have been ravaged by banditry, the Gbagyi Elders Forum (GEF) has called for the vigilante in the community to bear arms to match the various terrorist groups.
This is also coming on the heels of the recent summit of Gbagyi elders in Abuja, that was organised to foster unity among the Gbagyis in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Kogi, Nassarawa, and Niger states.
The chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Forum, Elder Peterson Kaura who read the communique of the GEF in Minna at the weekend, officially unveiled the Forum with the theme “Uniting for a Greater Future.”
He stated that, in response to persistent attacks on farming communities, the forum has adopted spiritual means to combat bandits and other insurgents disturbing their communities
Similarly, he appealed that their youths, who have volunteered as vigilantes and members of the Civilian Task Force, should be supported by the government with sophisticated weapons so that they have the same firepower as bandits in order to defend the communities effectively.
He said the ever-peaceful Gbagyi land is being threatened by insecurity, urbanisation, politics, and economic marginalization, even as he expressed the forum’s readiness to partner with government at all levels to overcome the challenges.
He said, “There is an urgent need for governments at all levels to collaborate to tackle the insecurity and banditry that has been ravaging our ancestral land, especially in Kaduna, Niger, Kogi, and the FCT.
“A Gbagyi Land Rights Committee shall be set up to strategize and engage with policymakers and government authorities to address ancestral land ownership rights and protection, as well as secure compensation for displaced communities.”
He also called on the federal government to award the contract for the completion of the road extending from Sarkin-Pawa, Munya LGA of Niger State, to Kaduna to open the area for security operations and economic activities.
