Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has cried out that bandits are about to take over the state.
According to him, the activities of the bandits are gradually becoming overwhelming for the state government.
He said criminals that have been dislodged in other North East state have relocated to the state, and are now causing serious problems.
The governor spoke on Wednesday when he received the State Council of Emirs who paid him a courtesy visit to government House, appealing to the federal government not to abandon the state because it’s a ruled by the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
The governor, however, vowed not to allow bandits and terrorists, fleeing from the onslaught of security forces across the country to settle in the state.
He said his government will ensure that the peace in the state is sustained, adding that lives and property will be protected.
He said that because of the Federal Government’s sustained war against bandits and terrorism in other zones of the country, the state is becoming a hiding place for the unscrupulous elements who are beginning to disturb the peace of the state.
He however said that his administration was not resting on its oars but is working hard to ensure that there is peace of lives and properties of the citizens of the state.
He explained that the state is cooperating with the federal government to ensure that full security is achieved in the state.
The governor said, “Other states are moving ahead, we have one of the largest populations in the region and so with the activities of the Federal Government in other parts of the geopolitical zones, the bandits are coming to Bauchi.
“We will have to go the extra mile to make sure we checkmate them. We are doing that but certainly, we’re getting overwhelmed and that is why we call on the Federal Government to help us and to come to our aid, to do that thing that they are doing in the north-west so that as we have always been a sanctuary of peace, we’ll maintain that status.
“The Emir of Katagum is one Emir that is known to always go out at night patrolling. I want the other emirs to emulate him and do what he is doing, not that they are not doing, but you are uncommon in terms of your own forthrightness.
“We will try to exercise restraint and patience with your district heads and with the emirs. Even if we remove or punish any member of the traditional institution, we are doing it with a lot of pain. I don’t like it but we have to do it when there is apparent disobedience to the rules of engagement of emirs, traditional rulers, and so on and so forth.
“We are just taking a minimal number to make an example out of them.
” We cannot afford to punish all the people who are transgressing, we’re just making sure that we are trying to bring remorse to put people on course but we are doing this with a lot of apology and regret. We don’t like touching the institution because that institution is the symbol of our togetherness,” he said.
He called President Bola Tinubu, not to ignore Bauchi State because it is a State governed by the opposition People’s Democratic Party just as he lamented that he said that the first railway route in the country had been abandoned by the Federal Government.
