Arewa youths to FG: Release N10bn intervention fund to Zamfara

The Arewa Youth Forum yesterday urged the Federal Government to release the N10bn approved by the National Assembly for victims of banditry in Zamfara State.

It also urged the government to set up an ad-hoc committee to be known as the Presidential Initiative of Zamfara State with a 10-year life span to manage the said funds and subsequent allocations and donations.

The eight Senate had, following a motion by Senator Kabiru Marafa, approved the inclusion of N10bn in the 2019 budget to help victims of armed bandits in Zamfara State.

The forum’s president, Gambo Ibrahim Gunjugu, said: "The humanitarian catastrophe in Zamfara State is very disturbing, horrible and portends great danger to Nigeria's national security interests. Therefore, to complement the ongoing process of security operations across-board, there is a need for an urgent and strategic solution, which is to target one of the key breeding grounds of banditry in the North-West, Zamfara State and give it the required attention it deserves.

"The orphaned children, due to their dire situation of pain, trauma, depression, lack of care, hunger, abject poverty-stricken life, helplessness of their widowed mothers to fill the gaps as created by an unforeseen situation left by their deceased fathers, lack of compassion from society from whom they expect succor and compassion but feel ignored, will undoubtedly, become easy prey and willing tools in the hands of criminal elements that pays them pittance and recruit them.”