Governor Bala visits home town Duguri over banditry attacks, says govt will go after informants

By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has disclosed that the law is doing everything possible to go after bandits and their informants in order to ensure the safety and protection of lives and properties of law abiding citizens across the state.

Governor who made this known when he paid a sympathy visit to his hometown Duguri in Alkaleri local government area of the state on Sunday said his administration will not allow criminals to continue terrorizing the law abiding citizens anywhere in the state.

Bala Mohammed who was speaking over incessant banditry attacks and kidnappings in some communities across the state alleged that some informants were feeding the criminals with information which he said government is monitoring their activities and will soon catch up with them.

“I have the singular honour to commiserate with the people of Duguri, my home town over the death of some people and the abduction of so many sons and daughters of this area”, he said.

“We have so many minerals here, that is why we are having problem. We are trying our best, the local government is trying its best, the state government is also trying its best, the federal government is also doing its best”, the governor added.

Bala who pointed out that the policy of community engagement has taken him everywhere in the state where such ugly incident has happened, said that the incident cannot happen without connivance with some obnoxious elements within the society.

Governor Bala said he has been to Toro, Gwana, Mansur and Tafawa Belewa to engage with the people on how to overcome the security breaches.

“But as the security agencies would always say, this cannot happen without collaboration with some obnoxious elements within us, including some members of our traditional institution, even some security”, he alleged.

Bala stated that his administration has already requested the two traditional district heads in the area to be circumspect to look inward with a view to addressing the situation.

“We are looking, inward so that we can arrest this issue of compromise and information giving to the bandits.
There is no way somebody from Zamfara or somewhere will visit that secluded place like Shaffa and kill someone unless he has an informant”, Bala said.

The governor who noted that the security agencies cannot do it alone, pointed out that, that informed the decision of his government to establish a system of feedback.

While lamenting that some people within the society are even feeding the bandits in their secret place by giving them grains and flour, Governor Bala said the state government is closely monitoring and will catch them.

“That is the report I received, and we are going to go after such people no matter how highly placed they are to make our people safe an secure. You must give us feedback through the district head, through the village head or through anybody you know”, he added.

Bala who said he has been having sleepless night as a governor that his people are being killed, pointed out that, “this is where I grew up, this is where I came to this world and became whatever l became”.

According to him, “t is nonsense for me to be whatever and my people are being killed. Afterall, our people have a culture of self reliance and our people are known for farming, they are known for heroism, I don’t know where how such people will come and overwhelm us”.

The Governor charged the people of the area to rebuild their courage and come out and be vigilant instead of being killed in their rooms.

The Governor while describing himself as someone who answers call from his subjects, encouraged them to always call and inform him about happenings around them just like he was called and informed about the bandits by someone.