Gov Bagudu and the burden of security in Kebbi

There’s no point denying what is obvious, the once peaceful and conducive Kebbi State is becoming a den for kidnappers, country home for bandits and epicentre of senseless killings with villages razed, cattle rustled and farmers and farmlands maimed by bandits in boundary local governments of Sakaba, Danko-Wasagu and Fakai.

Even as we usually see in neighbouring states, governors do manage to personally visit the scenes in heavy security to speak grammar in the name of condemnation, sympathise to attract headlines while pretending to be inspecting damage, in Kebbi, it’s always the deputy governor left hapless with the responsibility.

While Governor Bagudu could perchance be hailed for prompt payment of salaries and humanly policies, the atrocities committed by bandits can, however, be said to have not attracted the governor’s sympathy on victims as none of the recent triggered his presence nor any decisive action by the state.

An average Kebbi indigene will rush to point at the rice pyramids, fishes and conducive nature of the state whenever asked the pride of his state which is to our knowledge that, until there’s peace or let me say it directly, these bandits are defeated, no agricultural, economic, social, political and even religious progress is possible.

These bandits are more dangerous, murderous and vicious than COVID, cancer and malaria put together.

Last Sunday, they killed many including the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Sakaba Division, displaced dozens and rustled several cows in Sakaba, Makuku and Janbinni by Kebbi/ Niger boundaries.

There’s need for the state government to do more by having a community vigilante group to work closely with the security agencies in a new synergy and information gathering from the grassroots. The situation in villages along state boundaries requires urgent attention and decisive actions.

Habibu Bawa Zuru