By Samson Atekojo Usman The Senate has identified terrorists’ enclaves in communities within three local government areas of Kwara and...
By Samson Atekojo
Usman
The Senate has identified terrorists’ enclaves in
communities within three local government areas of Kwara and Niger States,
respectively.
Accordingly, the Red Chamber, on Tuesday, urged the military
to carry out a comprehensive onslaught of bandits and criminal elements within
Kainji Lake National Park and the identified communities.
The names of communities given by the chamber include
Kaiama, Karonzi-Yashikira in Baruten local government, and Wawa and Babanna
areas in Niger State.
These formed part of resolutions reached by the Senate after
it considered a motion on the “worsening insecurity in Kainji Lake National
Park and existential threat to communities in Kaima, Baruten and Borgu Local
Government in Kwara and Niger States.”
The motion was sponsored by Senator Sadiq Sulieman Umar
(Kwara North), and co-sponsored by the Deputy Whip, Senator Aliyu Sabi
Abdullahi (Niger North).
In his presentation, Senator Umar noted that, “kidnapping
and other forms of criminality is becoming a recurring decimal in communities
close to Kainji Lake National Park particularly Nanu. Nuku, Woro, Kale in
Kaiama and Yashikira in Baruten local Government of Kwara State and some part
of Borgu Local Government in Niger State.
“This has led to people living in perpetual fear of either
being kidnapped and/or killed by kidnappers suspected to be armed bandits;
“Further notes that Kainji Lake National Park covers an area
of about 5,341km square with deep forest vegetation. This park which is
reserved for tourism is becoming fort-filed in harboring bandits and other
forms of criminals;
“Also notes that park rangers meant to man this park could
no longer protect the forest reserve as they have lost control of the park to
terrorist.
“Worried that people living in these communities are
predominantly farmers and their means of livelihood is threatened by the
activities of these criminals as many are leaving their villages and farms to
seek refuge in the towns that will soon be threatened as well if nothing is
done about this insecurity situation. In fact, some communities have started
paying the criminals some sort of tax to be allowed to stay safe;
“Aware that the first incident occurred in year 2008 which
led to the death of several Local Vigilante group members in an attempt to
dislodge these criminals from the Kainji Lake National Park;
“Also aware that there is a Forward Operating Base (FOB)
established immediately after the first attacks and subsequent approval for the
establishment of Military barrack in the local government, but these attacks
keeps on happening with reckless abandon; and
“Cognizant that in this year 2022 alone, several cases of
kidnapping were reported in villages like Nanu, Nuku, Woro, and so on with
several people reported dead. Others who returned were released after the
payment of millions of Naira.”
The Senate, in its resolutions, mandated the Committees on
Defence; Finance and National Planning to jointly interface with the Ministry
of Defence to determine status of the establishment and funding of Army Barrack
in Kaiama and Forward Operation Base (FOB) in Babanna in Kwara and Niger
States, respectively.
It urged the military authorities to carry out a
comprehensive onslaught on bandits and other criminal elements within Kainji
Lake National Park, especially Kaiama, Karonzi -Yashikira in Baruten local
government, and Wawa and Babanna areas in Niger State.
The chamber also urged the National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA) to send relief materials to victims in the affected communities.
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