Blame Insecurity In The North West On Resource Exploitation By Foreigners And Social Inequality – Emir.
By Helen Udoh, Outlook Media ABUJA.
The Emir of Kotorkoshi, His Royal Highness Abubakar Ahmed Umar, has said that the ceaseless security woes bedeviling the North West, especially Zamfara State is not distant from the allure of gold and other mineral resources putting the domestic and foreign interests at loggerheads.
HRH Umah has also attributed the decade-long security crisis in the region as the disagreement between the Fulanis and the Hausas over cattle rearing which has really plagued the country. According to him, those intending to broker peace approach the problem with open minds and not with selfish interests of exploiting their resources and escalating the tension.
He has also cited other factors as the imminent causes of insecurities crisis in the North West to include incursions from the neighbouring countries like Mali and Burkina Faso with the sole intents of causing havoc and exploiting their resources thereby provoking the locals to go retaliatory without considering the after effects of these crisis.
The Emir further raised concerns over the inequality in the country and this has spiked provocations which has equally led to banditry in the North West.
He however shaded light on ways to end insurgency and banditry in North West with emphasis on need to close the gap between the poor Nigerians hardly feed and rich politicians who live in affluence at the detriment of others
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Hear him, “The challenge of insecurity in Zamfara state and northern Nigeria is largely caused by the disagreement between Fulanis and Hausas over cattle rearing. The more security agencies kill the armed Fulanis, the more their numbers increase. Also, the involvement of the foreigners is alarming. They bring in arms and give them to our people. While we are busy killing ourselves, they are exploiting our resources”.
“Warning against external influence by foreign collaborators and the need to bridge the equality gap in the country, the Emir has this to say, “Today, the military and other security agencies will go after them and kill them; tomorrow, another set will come and attack our people. Politicians without University degrees earn far way above graduates and even soldiers who sacrifice the comfort for the country. The resources of the country is not evenly distributed amongst the citizens. The gap between the political class and ordinary citizens is too wide”.
In a related incident, Dahiru Umar Limanci a resident of Kotorkoshi narrated how he took ransom to bandits in forest to secure the release of his wife.
“My wife, Sekina Ibrahim was kidnapped by bandits. They held her captive for seven days. They used her phone to call me and demanded for ransom of 3 million Naira. I told them I don’t have that kind of money but after so many back and we agreed on N250,000 . They said I should take the money to a village called Mada. When 1 got to mada they told to bring to another village called Tudun Wada. I told them I don’t know the community. He continued.
“They asked me to stop any bike and tell them. But All the bikes I stopped refused to go because it is too far. They called again and told me to go to the outskirts of the village and get a bike that will take me to to Tudun Wada . When I eventually got a bike who charged me 500 Naira then, they said we should stop at the outskirts of the town. They now told me to follow a bush path. A walked on that path for about 12 kilometers. I didn’t meet anybody on the road except one person. All of a sudden I saw two person with guns one in my front and another in my back.
“They threatened me that if the money is not complete they would kill me. I told that it’s complete but i removed N500 to pay for bike. One of the bandits now removed N500 from his pocket and completed it . He said it was his boss that sent him.
They now asked me to return to Tudun Wada. I got around 10 pm. They now told me that they have taken my wife to mada after telling me they will take her to Tudun Wada. When I got to Tudun Wada they now told me she is now in Mada. However, With the help of some good Samaritans I was reunited with my wife. Limanci shared his ordeal out of happiness
In separate remarks, Brigadier General Mohammed Dahiru Abumawashi, the Deputy Director Coordination of Media Operations and team lead, commended the monarch for his fatherly roles in ensuring the safety of his subjects and collaboration with the troops in his domain. Abumawashi assured that the Armed Forces of Nigeria will not renege on its responsibility to protect Nigerians from any external threats.Outlook Media Abuja.