Bala Mohammed, the of Bauchi State has on Thursday raised the alarm that not fewer than 10,000 well-armed bandits are currently attacking villagers in communities in Alkaleri Local Government area of the state.
Mohammed stated this when he visited the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled Mansur, Yalau, Futuk, Duguri, and Gwana communities of Alkaleri local government area of the state due to recent bandit attacks.
The governor, while sympathising with the IDPs sheltered in a government learning facility at Kashere Local Government area of Gombe, neighbouring State, described the situation as very sad and unfortunate.
According to him, the bandits are now recruiting both locals and outsiders, including former illegal miners.
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Mohammed, who appealed for urgent intervention from the Federal Government, said his people have been pushed out by about “10,000 well-armed bandits”.
He said, “We’ll meet with the President tomorrow (Friday) to get directives for the military and police to tackle the issue. We’ll use technology and other means to decimate the bandits,” He vowed.
He announced plans to recruit 2,000 youth into vigilante groups to be trained as forest guards, emphasising community involvement in protecting themselves.
Mohammed praised the Gombe Governor for hosting the IDPs and vowed to work with security agencies to protect the affected communities.
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He thanked the Kashere community for hosting the IDPs and apologised for any inconvenience caused. “This is the first time we’re facing this challenge, but we’ll overcome it.”
Earlier speaking, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, assured that more security personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order in the affected areas.
“I want to assure the people that we are committed to the immediate restoration of peace and security in that environment. All strategies and arrangements have been put in place to ensure that peace and security return immediately to that axis,” the CP said.
He vowed that the Police and other security agencies would not allow any part of Bauchi State to remain ungoverned.
