A former Senator and the current Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has disclosed he will join local hunters to fight against bandits in the state.
This was stated by the governor on Saturday when he was visited by the local hunters in the state, following a recent bandits attack on a school in Kebbi.
Recall that gunmen invaded the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri on Thursday, and kidnapped some students and teachers.
According to The Cable, one student has been confirmed dead, while seven other persons were rescued by the joint operation involving security operatives.
Bugudu who was in the company of Ekiti State governor, John Kayode Fayemi, while speaking to the hunters during the visit, noted that as soon as he gets clearance from troops, “he’ll join the hunters on the field.”
According to reports, Governor Fayemi arrived Kebbi on Saturday alongside his Jigawa State counterpart, Governor Badaru Abubakar.
In a statement released by Kebbi governor’s spokesman, Yahaya Sarki, Bagudu reiterated that if politicians can gather masses during campaigns, it is not too much to lead field operations to ensure the safety of residents.
In his words:
“We will go out there, and like I promised, the day we will move out, I will not be in the office because we will join you on the field. Also, other governors will leave their people so that we’ll meet on the field.”
“It is the will that bad people cannot triumph, and we will show that we have enough willpower.
The governor said the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies have been doing the best they could with limited resources, but he and every other citizen of this country, also need to mobilise, kit their selves and fight against bandits.
He noted that both Muslim and Christian scriptures permit one to put his/her life at risk in defence of his/her honour, property and faiths, adding that bandits have challenged all these with their attacks on the people of the country and they shouldn’t be spare.
“What happened in Birnin Yauri should be the last straw. We should follow these bandits wherever they are and take them on,” he added.
Gov. Bugudu appreciated the security agencies, the school management and the vigilantes for their combined efforts to rescue the abductees.
Also speaking, Governor Fayemi said he visited the state as a representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), to solidarize with the governor and all the good people of Kebbi State on the unfortunate incident at FGC, Birni Yauri.
He stressed that it is clear the fight the police and the local hunters in the state put against the bandits as they need to enter the bush to find them and defeat them.
Speaking further, Fayemi urged the joint force of police and the local hunters to please, put up whatever efforts they could to make the attack on the school, the last one in the state.
Responding, Hassan Muhammad, leader of the hunters in Gwandu emirate, promised that the hunters would do their best to secure the release of the remaining abducted persons.