People living in the Bazar community and nearby villages in the Yabo Local Government Area of Sokoto State are worried about a N15 million tax that suspected armed bandits have put on them.
Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the former governor of the state, is currently the senator for the communities in the Sokoto South Senatorial District.
The Guardian says that several people in the neighborhood stated the robbers had warned that not paying the ransom could lead to a string of violent attacks on the settlements.
In an interview with reporters, one of the villagers, Dauda Umar, verified that this was happening. He said that the situation was bad and needed the government’s help.
The bandits did ask us for N15 million and said they would hurt us if we didn’t give it to them. I don’t know what they will do next, but the tax has already been put in place, and some individuals are talking about how to get the money.
He said that the most recent incident happened on a Friday night at about 11:40 p.m. and continued until about 1:06 a.m.
“They took seven people during the raid, but later let our village leader and five others go after telling them not to tell anyone about what happened. He went on to say that they also stole from stores and took away things worth millions of naira.
The people also asked the Chairman of Yabo Local Government Area and the Sokoto State Government to make the affected regions safer so that lives and property don’t have to be lost right away.
“We have told the police and other authorities, but we still need more help to deal with this threat,” he stated.
Earlier reports said that people in Kebbe Local Government Area in Sokoto State asked the federal government to let them carry guns for self-defense. They said that recurrent attacks by bandits had made their towns vulnerable and that government security is not enough.
At a news conference in Sokoto, community leaders led by Alhaji Adamu Kebbe talked about how the security situation is getting worse, which has led to deaths and a lot of property damage. They argued that state and local officials have left them behind and that the government’s responses to attacks have been delayed and not enough.
Haruna, a resident, told reporters, “We can’t sleep with both eyes closed anymore.” The government isn’t doing much to protect us, and our villages are being wiped out.
A few speakers said that if security doesn’t get better, people might have to take their own safety into their own hands.
The group also asked the federal government to give money directly to local governments so they may better equip community security teams and respond more promptly to raids.
They responded, “If the government can’t protect us, then we should be able to protect ourselves.”
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