Insecurity in Sokoto State has continued to receive prompt attention after the relocation of the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Matawalle, to the state in a special operation.
The special operation is to flush out bandits and other criminal elements in the North West.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Matawalle had on Sept. 3, sought the support of Sokoto State Government and citizens to execute President Bola Tinubu’s directive to flush out bandits and other criminals terrorising the North-West.
The minister, along with the nation’s service chiefs and other high ranking military personnel, therefore, relocated to Sokoto in an operation to rid the region of the menace.
NAN reports that bandit attacks and other criminalities have since reduced in the state, even after the departure of Matawalle and the service chiefs.
Residents of the state have continued to commend the initiative by the minister and the service chiefs, which they said has yielded the desired results.
They, however, said that pockets of raids and road attacks by bandits have continued to occur, but could not be compared to how it was before the minister’s relocation.
Retired Col. Abdul Ahmad, the Special Adviser to Gov. Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State on Carrier and Security Matters, said that the Federal Government’s special operation against banditry in the NorthWest states has yielded positive impacts.
Ahmad added that the presence of the minister, along with other high ranking military officers in the operation had renewed the confidence of residents.
He described the menace of terrorism, kidnapping and banditry as serious setbacks which had displaced and crippled many people and their socio-economic activities.
According to him, residents can now heave a sigh of relief, knowing that the military is steadfast in its resolve to protect them.
Ahmad noted that security remained top on the nine-point agenda of the present administration, adding that in line with that, the state government had established Community Guard Corps (CGC) and provided vehicles and other logistics to complement Federal Government’s efforts.
He assured that the state government would continue to support the Federal Government in safeguarding the lives and property of the people.
Similarly, the Chairman, Coalition of NGOs in the state, Alhaji Bello Gwadabawa, expressed delight over the military operational strategies, as well as successes recorded so far.
Gwadabawa said that insecurity in the zone had for long subjected citizens to untold hardships as many were displaced.
He said residents were subjected to humanitarian crises due to loss of employment, shelter and other livelihood engagements, living in constant fear and uncertainties.
He explained that the demise of a notorious bandits’ kingpin, Kachallah Halilu Buzu, who was neutralised by the gallant troops in Zamfara during the operation of the military was a welcome developmental.
Gwadabawa said that the killing of the kingpin, a Nigerien by origin, and terrorising the region and providing arms and ammunition to many bandit groups is highly commendable.
“The victory is a morale booster to both troops and the public. Therefore, we urge the troops to continue with their relentless efforts in pursuit of those who seek to harm innocent residents,” he said.
In the same vein, Alhaji Aliyu Maiyadi, the Chairman, Coalition of Traders Association, commended the efforts of the military in the fight against banditry in Sokoto and Zamfara states and by extension the NorthWest region.
Maiyadi said the bravery and swift action of the military was a welcome development and expressed gratitude to the troops “for ending the reign of terror unleashed by Kachallah Halilu Buzu Sububu and his cohorts.”
He described the victory as a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Nigerian Army to protect the lives of residents.
Another resident, Alhaji Musa Lemu, noted that the successful operation served as a testament to the effectiveness of the strategy adopted by the Nigerian Army and its commitment to rid the region of banditry and terrorism.
The District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, enjoined the people to support the military operation with credible intelligence that would aid the fight and put an end to the nefarious activities of bandits in the entire NorthWest.
He said “when you identify any suspicious movement or any person living a flamboyant life without a meaningful source of income, you should inform community leaders or the nearest authority.
“We should all be vigilant, keep an eye on the society because the bandits, kidnappers and other criminals are living within the society and carry out their ugly activities within us,” Umar-Jabbi said.
However, while briefing newsmen on the visit to the North West theatre of operation, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said all joint task force operations would be harmonised to tackle terrorism and banditry in the zone.
Musa added that the visit had provided an overview of the entire operation and realised that they needed to harmonise operations.
According to him, there is Operation Hadarin Daji and Operation Whirl Stroke, both in the NorthWest region, noting that there is need to harmonise them into one operation as it is done in the North East.
He explained that “the same thing is being done now for the North West operation and we have one unified operation that will be called “Operation Fansan Yanma.”
“The intention is to ensure that we synergise all efforts toward addressing the security challenges in the North West. It has been the tradition of the bandits to move from state to state.
“So, what we are doing is that since we are harmonising the whole operation, we will come under one commander and then the commander will be able to utilise all the equipment and troops to ensure that we address this critically.”
Meanwhile, the President’s directive that the minister and service chiefs should move to Sokoto was to appraise the operation and charge troops to redouble their efforts.
Experts, thereafter, attributed the recent killing of the terrorist kingpin to the presence of the minister and the service chiefs.
They also believed that Bello Turji, another dreaded terrorist kingpin, would soon be captured as promised by the defence chief.
NAN recalls that former President Muhammadu Buhari had on assumption of office in 2015 ordered the then newly appointed service chiefs to relocate the defence command and control centre to Maiduguri, the epicentre of the Boko Haram terrorist activities.
This resulted to the liberation of many local government areas in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe that were hitherto under the control of the insurgents.
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