Drug users lament closure of Remon village in Sokoto

Some drugs users were caught lamenting over the closure of Remon village by the Sokoto State Government few days after Daily Trust exposed the illegal activities taking place in the area.

The addicts were overheard by a journalist who pleaded not to be named while making the lamentation at a mai shayi (tea) joint in Sokoto Metropolis.

The addicts were said to have expressed reservations on the decision of the government to demolish the village which had been hiding all sorts of criminals.

Our source said, “I went to the place to drink tea and sitting alongside me were some youths who came to take noodles.

“I overheard them lamenting over the recent sack of Remon village where they used to get drugs. One of them asked, ‘Now that the village is sacked where can we be getting glue?’ His friend replied, ‘I learnt that it was a report by a Daily Trust reporter that led to the raid.

“Another youth said, ‘This reporter was not fair to us. Now we have to look for another way of getting glue.’”

Recently, Gov Aminu Waziri Tambuwal ordered the demolition of the village which had served as a criminals’ den.

The governor gave the order while inspecting the village last Tuesday following a Daily Trust investigation published penultimate Sunday.

According to him, effort was made to sanitise the place in the past through constant collaboration with the army, police and other security agencies.

The governor said, “Just last Saturday, joint security operatives raided the place and arrested 145 suspects, 45 of them are being prosecuted while the rest are under investigation.

“Reports indicate that most of the structures here have no valid construction permit.”

He noted that investigation would be carried out to know who were living legally and doing legitimate businesses in the area.

The governor further said, “The committee will conduct thorough screening of all residents, those with genuine documents and businesses will be relocated to another place.

“We are not targeting any group, tribe or individual, but to ensure a crime-free environment for the common good of citizens to flourish.

‘’We are going to demolish this place and use the land for something meaningful that will benefit our communities.

“I don’t want any section of the country to misread or misjudge this action. Citizens from all across Nigeria reside here, those with lawful businesses will definitely be relocated.”

The representative of the Village Head of Remon, Alhaji Aminu Bunun-Dambua, said the place became a serious threat to residents and served as a breeding place of recruiting young criminals.