Governor of Bauchi State Bala Mohammed said arrangements had been put in place by his administration to establish a security outfit to complement the efforts of the other security agencies to curb banditry and other crimes.
He said a law to facilitate the establishment of the security organisation had been passed by the state House of Assembly, adding that modalities were being worked out to recruit over 2, 000 youths as its personnel to enhance the safety of life and property in the state.
The governor revealed the plan when he condoled with family of slain 75-year-old Jauro Katu Mai Dakkuna who was killed by bandits that also abducted his two sons, a grandson and a granddaughter in Shafa, Duguri district.
He said, “There was no how somebody from somewhere of Zamfara would visit that secluded place of Shafa hamlet to kill somebody unless he has an informer and collaborator. As the security agencies have always said, such thing could not happen without collaboration with some obnoxious elements within us”.
He explained that such elements included some members of the traditional institutions, and even the security operatives, adding “We have to fear God in all our dealings, we have already requested the two district heads to make sure they become circumspect, to look inward because we too were looking so that they can arrest all these issues of compromise, information being given to the bandits”.
“Reports reaching me the day before was some locals were supplying foodstuff to the bandits in the forests, so we are aware of such retrogressive tendencies, there are some few dissident security operatives that are compromising with the bandits. So, we are requesting the commissioner of police and the brigade commandant to effect a change or redeployment of the guards here who have over stayed in their duty posts to have been conniving with the bandits,” he said.
The governor noted that men and officers of the police and military security agencies in the two districts of Duguri and Yuli have over stayed in their duty posts that culminated to their collaboration with bandits in the perpetration of criminality such as killing, maiming and abducting innocent citizens for ransom payment.
He also said, “We are establishing a system of feedback, and I had some people within us are even feeding the bandits in their secluded places by giving them grains and flour to feed, that is the report I got, and we are going to take measures against such people wherever they are and no matter how close they are to us”.
Governor Bala, who stressed the need to make people safe and secured as the primary responsibility of any responsible government, counseled the people to give the government information through their local leaders such as the LG chairman, councilors, district, village and ward heads for prompt action.
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