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‘Give Us Guns To Defend Ourselves,’ Sokoto Residents Tell Government As Bandit Attacks Escalate
The residents said they were exhausted by the continuous killings, kidnappings, and destruction of villages by armed groups, which have left them impoverished and displaced.
Sokoto State– Residents of Kebbe Local Government Area in Sokoto State have appealed to the government to grant them permission to bear arms to defend themselves against incessant bandit attacks that have devastated their communities.
The residents said they were exhausted by the continuous killings, kidnappings, and destruction of villages by armed groups, which have left them impoverished and displaced.
According to them, out of the 17 communities in Kebbe Local Government Area, at least 11 have been deserted following repeated attacks by bandits.
One of the community leaders, Tukur Muhammad Fakum, told the BBC that the situation had reached a breaking point, leaving them with no other option but to consider self-defence.
“We are now holding meetings. Those with small farms have sold them, and those with small houses have sold them, too. If we can buy guns, we’ll give them to our youth so they can try to protect us,” Fakum said.
He added, “The government should protect us, but if it cannot, then it should allow us to own weapons so our youths can defend their lives and communities.”
Speaking further on the scale of devastation, Fakum lamented that the attacks had crippled economic activities and displaced hundreds of residents.
“There is no food. People who have never spent the night in a mosque are now forced to sleep there. You wake up and move to a place you’ve never been before just to find safety. The situation is terrible,” he said.
However, efforts by the BBC to get official reactions from government representatives and security agencies were unsuccessful at the time of filing the report.
Sokoto State remains one of the epicentres of banditry in Nigeria’s North West region, with frequent attacks recorded in Isa, Sabon Birni, and Kebbe local government areas.
Meanwhile, apart from armed groups loyal to the notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, a new militia known as the Lakurawa fighters has recently emerged — a development security analysts fear could further worsen insecurity in the state and across the region.