Villagers call for military presence, not relocation

Residents of the three settlements along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway have called for the establishment of military presence in the communities instead of relocating or clearing their settlements. They denied involvement with suspected terrorists along the highway, adding that relocating or clearing their settlements is not the solution to the insecurity along the highway. The three […]

Residents of the three settlements along the Kaduna-Abuja Highway have called for the establishment of military presence in the communities instead of relocating or clearing their settlements.

They denied involvement with suspected terrorists along the highway, adding that relocating or clearing their settlements is not the solution to the insecurity along the highway.

The three communities – Rijana, Kateri and Akilbu, are all described as dangerous spots for travellers plying the route.

Spokesman of the communities Mr Danjuma Makeri at a news briefing said, “Records show that many of our people have been kidnapped, raped, maimed or killed by these bandits or terrorists. Shockingly, many of our farmers cannot access their farms these days while others have to pay levies to bandits before they could access their farms.”

On the solution to the insecurity around the areas, Mr Danjuma recommended that there should be constructive engagement between relevant government agencies and critical stakeholders in the respective communities to foster a workable synergy in the fight against banditry in the area.

He said all identifiable flash spots where bandits normally take undue advantage of to perpetrate their heinous acts should be placed under strict security control, adding that the government should recruit more members of their youths into the security forces to reinforce the concept of community policing by gaining the confidence of the communities.