The member representing Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji federal constituency of Zamfara state in the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Jaji, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently wade in to address the raging incidents of banditry in his state.
Lamenting the current situation in his constituency at a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Jaji said over a hundred persons had been abducted in recent times, and N30 million demanded as ransom by the bandits, who he said, had also been going round killing people in the communities.
In his passionate appeal to President Tinubu, the lawmaker said “these people need to be protected under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. People are only moving in Zamfara just because they don’t have any other place,” adding that the approach to addressing insecurity in Nigeria must be holistic.
The lawmaker recalled the brutal acts of the bandits, one of which was the feeding of twin babies delivered of a woman under captivity to dogs, and another of the pathetic killing of a boy with epilepsy who fell under the disease’s attack in presence of a bandit leader who saw that as an affront.
Responding to question on whether the people should take up arms in self-defence, he said, “we are being guided by the constitution, and the people are trying to do what’s right,” adding that what is required is greater synergy by all stakeholders, including the communities.
He also opposed the suggestion for a state of emergency in the state, as well as the use of mercenaries to quell insecurity, saying that with the level of insecurity in Nigeria today, “if you want to declare state of emergency, you’ll have to do so in more than 20 states of Nigeria”, adding that the use of mercenaries might offer just a temporary solution.
The lawmaker also faulted the management of issue of repentant Boko Haram insurgents, especially in the area of de-radicalisation. “Someone whose ideology is to kill saying he has repented? There’s is supposed to be a policy to be de-radicalised over time,” he said, as he commended troops, who he said must be motivated through effective welfare packages.