The Kebbi state government has denied reports that bandits are in control of some villages adjudicating in Sharia courts and self-appointing traditional rulers in the state.
Deputy governor of the state, Sen. Umar Abubakar Tafida, made the clarification at a news briefing in his office in Birnin Kebbi, Tuesday.
He said, “There is no single village in the whole of Kebbi State where bandits are in charge of Sharia courts or have appointed village heads of their choice.
“The report is false, with no iota of truth; this is just the imagination of writers of such online news.
“We do not have a bandits’ base or camp in Kebbi, these marauders infiltrate from neighbouring states and from Niger Republic to Kebbi through their informants to strike and retreat.
The deputy governor affirmed that the state government had put in place incisive and effective strategies to put an end to the acts of banditry.
“The delegation sent by the state government under the leadership of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu to meet with the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has held fruitful discussions with the military high command on ways to wipe out banditry and insurgency in this part of the North,” he assured.
The deputy governor announced that, so far, N92.5 million has been disbursed to the families of victims who lost their lives in the bandits’ attack last Friday, November 8.
