A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ahmed Dayyabu (APC-Katsina), has urged the Federal Government to save his constituents and the state from armed bandits, kidnappers and rustlers.
Dayyabu who represents Safana/Batsari/Danmusa Federal constituency of Kastina state, made the call in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
The lawmaker, who is the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives committee on Loans, Aids and Debt Management, said that his constituency had been taken over by armed bandits.
“The bandits who constantly harass our people, kidnap our men, women and children for ransom; are gradually turning the constituency and the entire state into a theatre of war.
He disclosed that just two days ago, five persons were killed at Kasai village in Batsari local government area; in addition to daily killings and kidnappings that had become an unrestrained occurrence.
“I am actually very disturbed that people are innocently displaced from their homeland without any meaningful intervention from the appropriate authorities.
“it is pertinent to mention that Alhazawa village in Safana local government area has been displaced.
“In the real sense, my constituents are in a very terrible and precarious situation to the extent that even their representatives find it difficult to visit them when the need arises,”he said.
He said the bandits who have found a safe haven in Daji Rugu forest, which stretches from Katsina to Zamfara to Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, are very ruthless.
“Their atrocities have adversely affected economic activities in my constituency, which has dropped drastically to about 20 per cent.
“This is in spite of the efforts made by Katsina state government in supporting the security agencies to curb this menace.
“it is important to note that the people of my constituency in particular and Kastina state in general who are predominantly farmers and traders can no longer go to their farms or market places.
“This is due to fear of being kidnapped or killed.
“Herders, who are being attacked every now and then by cattle rustlers are now afraid to freely graze their cattle,”he stated.
The lawmaker recalled that he had at two different occasions in 2015 and 2018 had cause to sponsor motions on the floor of the House.
He said that the motion was on the urgent need for the federal government to intervene in the continuous loss of lives and property within Safana/Batsari/Dan Musa federal constituency by bandits.
Dayyabu therefore, appealed to the federal government ‘to as a matter of urgency deploy adequate intelligence and security agencies preferably the military to take over Daji Rugu forest and flush out the criminals.
“Similarly, we appeal to the government to deploy more security personnel to the villages and towns within our constituency to safeguard lives and property.
“They should also put an end to the nefarious activities constantly perpetrated by these criminal elements,”he said.