The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared the Northern region of Nigeria the worst place to live in, lamenting the high rate of insecurity in the region.
For 11 years, the Boko Haram insurgents which had hitherto been peaceful in its operations in the region became aggressive, terrorising the region and leading to the deaths of thousands. Till date, this has not been resolved and has only been joined by bandits who attack residents at will.Speaking at the 4th quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja, themed heme, ‘Questioning for peace in the challenges of insecurity and COVID-19’, Sa’ad Abubakar said bandits were fast overrunning the North as residents slept with their eyes open. Noting that the bandits had become daring, he said they move from house to house, village to village, market to market, with AK-47 rifles openly, purchasing foodstuffs and other items and even collecting change without any challenge from the security agencies.
“Security situation in Northern Nigeria has assumed a worrisome situation. Few weeks ago, over 76 persons were killed in a community in Sokoto in a day. I was there with the governor to commiserate with the affected community. Unfortunately, you don’t hear these stories in the media because it’s in the North. We have accepted the fact that the North does not have strong media to report the atrocities of these bandits”, he said. “People think North is safe but that assumption is not true. In fact, it’s the worst place to be in this country because bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK 47 and nobody is challenging them. They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts I know because I am at the centre of it. Read also: Again, Bandits Many Killed In Zamfara Village, Raze Houses
“I am not only a traditional ruler, I am also a religious leader. So, I am in a better place to tell the story. I can speak for the North in this regard because I am fully aware of the security challenges there. We have to sincerely and seriously find solutions to the problem, otherwise, we will find ourselves soon, in a situation where we would lose sleep because of insecurity”, he added.
Speaking at the 4th quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja, themed heme, ‘Questioning for peace in the challenges of insecurity and COVID-19’, Sa’ad Abubakar said bandits were fast overrunning the North as residents slept with their eyes open. Noting that the bandits had become daring, he said they move from house to house, village to village, market to market, with AK-47 rifles openly, purchasing foodstuffs and other items and even collecting change without any challenge from the security agencies.
“People think North is safe but that assumption is not true. In fact, it’s the worst place to be in this country because bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK 47 and nobody is challenging them. They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts I know because I am at the centre of it.
