Sultan decries insecurity in North, says bandits move freely, buy things in market unchallenged

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has decried the state of insecurity in the North, describing the region as the worst place to live in Nigeria as bandits now move freely unchallenged.

The Sultan made this known on Thursday in Abuja.

4wardwego reports that he was speaking at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council.

The bandits who called on the security agencies to rise up to challenge, disclosed that armed bandits can be seen in markets, buying items and openly displaying their weapons. Further, he revealed that bandits now move from house to house, village to village, market to market; with AK-47 rifles.

He added that they can be seen in the market, freely purchasing foodstuffs and even collecting  change.

“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 and nobody is challenging them.

“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.

“Security situation in Northern Nigeria has assumed a worrisome situation. Few weeks ago, over 76 persons were killed in a community in Sokoto in a day. I was there with the governor to commiserate with the affected community.

“Unfortunately, you don’t hear these stories in the media because it’s in the North. We have accepted the fact that the North does not have strong media to report the atrocities of these bandits.

“I am not only a traditional ruler. 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.”