From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has described bandits terrorising the people of Kebbi, Sokoto, and other northwestern states as devils incarnate, calling for a united front in order to defeat them.
Governor Tambuwal stated this during his condolence visit to Kebbi State Governor Abubakar Bagudu over the killing of vigilantes and military personnel by bandits at Kanya town in Dankowasagu Local Government Area of the state.
‘We are here in Birnin Kebbi on behalf of the People and Government of Sokoto State, to condole with ourselves because we see ourselves as part of Kebbi state. Because Sokoto and Kebbi are the same. We are here to commensurate with the direct family affected by the bandit attack where many lives were lost,’ Governor Tambuwal stated.
‘One of the incidents involved His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Kebbi State. His efforts and that of the governor and other stakeholders in the state are encouraging towards the establishment of peace in the state.
‘We commensurate with you and pray that the souls of the departed heroes and those who have lost their lives will rest in peace. And I pray that Almighty Allah will give the relatives of those who lost their beloved ones the fortitude to bear the loss,’ the Sokoto governor said.
Governor Tambuwalm, who described the perpetrators of the attacks as agents of the devil, said all stakeholders, regardless of their religion, tribe and political affiliation must unite to defeat the bandits.
‘It is unfortunate, it is condemnable,’ the governor stated. ‘We are appealing to the people of Kebbi State to continue to support the Kebbi State Government and give them maximum cooperation and support. In the matter of insecurity, we must not introduce politics, we must all work together, irrespective of our political differences and tribe; there should be no ethnicity.
‘Because, when these people come, they would not ask for your political parties, they don’t ask about your religion, they don’t ask about your ethnicity. They are all agents of the devil, they are devils incarnate. They are working against humanity.
‘So, we must all put hands on deck and work together as a people and as leaders to ensure that we establish peace in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, the North West and entire Nigeria,’ he said.
Governor Tambuwal donated N30 million to the victims of the bandit attack and prayed that God grant them Alijanah Firdausi and fortitude for their families to bear the loss.
Kebbi Governor Bagudu commended Governor Tambuwal for the visit and described the violence as a national and global challenge.
‘An attack on one is an attack on all,’ he stated. ‘Regrettably, this is not the first time this happened and you are very very prompt in coming home to show solidarity to encourage us.
‘I must commensurate with you as well, and I pray Allah has accepted all the prayers for those who lost their lives. May Allah continue to bless you,’ he said.
Governor Bagudu observed that security challenges were highly frustrating but they require maximum cooperation, advising that people avoid politicising security issues.
‘The issue of security is pure criminality where civilised people need to unite and cooperate with each other and, by God’s grace, we shall defeat them.
‘This calls to attention the need for us to always support our security agencies to recon with their sacrifices as well as our vigilantes and self-help groups, particularly those who are cooperating and working with traditional, governmental authorities and security agencies.
‘We see how their sacrifices sometimes result in the ultimate price, one’s life, and we thank you for your prayers and we will continue to urge that we must be united and unanimous, we are not alone,’ Governor Bagudu said.
The Kebbi Governor observed that security challenges still remain a global issue, stressing that all West African countries faced one security challenge or the other, which require a joint approach to effectively tackle the menace.
