The monarch said insecurity in the North had become so intense that people were afraid to travel short distances.
The Sultan of Sokoto
and President General of Jamaatu Nasril Islam, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, on
Thursday said 76 people were killed in Sokoto by bandits in one day, saying
most of the insecurity stories in Northern part of the country were not
reported because the region lacked strong media presence.
Abubakar, who is
leader of Nigerian Muslims, disclosed this at the 4th Quarter 2020 meeting of
the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council in Abuja.
The monarch said
insecurity in the North had become so intense that people were afraid to travel
short distances.
He also revealed that
the criminals visited houses to kidnap people.
He said, “Security
situation in northern Nigeria has assumed a worrisome situation. It is
regrettable that no strong media platform could report this story to the world.
“A few weeks ago, over
76 persons were killed in a community in Sokoto in a day. I was there alongside
the governor to commiserate with the affected community.
“Unfortunately, you
didn’t hear these stories in the media because it’s in the north. We have
accepted the fact that the north doesn’t have strong media to report the
atrocities of these bandits.
“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. 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.
“I am not only a
traditional ruler, but 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.
“As religious leaders,
we must promote peace, love, unity, and tolerance among our followers. We will
discuss all these issues at the close door session of the meeting and possibly
come out with strong suggestions for government.”
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