Birnin Gwari Stakeholders Want Army To Dislodge Armed Bandits From Surrounding Forests

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*appeals for establishment of 96 Battalion

By; IBRAHIM ADAMU, Kaduna
Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU) has called in the Nigerian Army to dislodge armed bandits taking refuge in forests surrounding the area.
It made the call in a communique made available on Thursday January 4, 2018 in Kaduna, jointly signed by its Chairman,  Murtala Abdullahi and Secretary    Umar Ibrahim, after the first Birnin Gwari Security Summit held on December 9, 2017, at the Science Secondary School, Birnin Gwari.
The group also called for the establishment of an Army battalion in Birnin Gwari.
“The Nigerian Army should deploy more troops that will dislodge the suspected armed bandits in Kamuku forests, Kuyambana forests and other major hideouts of the armed bandits.
“Aerial surveillance should be strengthened around the suspected hideouts of the armed bandits and appropriate measures be taken.
“The Nigerian Army should actualise its plan to establish Battalion 96 in Birnin Gwari as this will go a long way in curtailing the security challenges.
Governments should support Community Policing in Birnin Gwari and encourage the affected communities to provide intelligence report on the suspected movement around their areas. In so doing, the communities must be ensured of their safety to avoid possible reprisals by the reported bandits,” it appealed.
NEPU charged the police deployed to Birnin Gwari to work in  synergy with the vigilante group in confronting security challenges.
” In so doing, there should be sincere and upright commitments from each side.
“The vigilante Group should be supported with adequate logistics, be protected and be granted immunity clause by the Kaduna state government, the affected communities and other stakeholders,” it added.
The communique tasked religious leaders on the need to preach more on the dangers of social vices like adultery and fornication as well as homosexuality.
“People should be preached to frown at such vices and desist from them, so as to re-establish a society that runs on the Taqwah of Allah.
“The community leaders should improve on the punitive measures against the perpetrators of evils and societal vices with a view to refining the entire society,” it advised.
The summit recommended that religious leaders in the entire Birnin Gwari LGA should lead people in observing one – month long special Qunut in their mosques, special fasting and prayers with a hope that Allah shall bring peace, safety and tranquillity on the land.
It pointed out that there are suspected informants within Birnin Gwari feeding the bandits with essential information as regard to the unsuspecting targets.
“That there is lack of sincere synergetic collaboration between the Police Force in Birnin Gwari and Members of the Vigilante Group; a development that hinders effective clampdown on the bandits.
“While the communities affected are accused of concealing intelligent reports against the bandits due to fear, the vigilante group decried the wanton witch hunt on their lives by some complicit security personnel; a development that discourages the vigilante group from carrying out its duties freely.
“That moral decadence in the society which manifest in adultery and fornication, homosexuality and other social vices are believed to have triggered the negative consequences felt by the entire society including incessant cases of insecurity.
“That the Vigilante Group decried lack of support and protection by the governments and affected communities and showed the strong need for an immunity clause,” it added.
Finally the participants commanded the efforts of the organizers especially BEPU for making the summit a success and urged the union to sustain in such breakthroughs towards progress and development of Birnin Gwari.
Declaring the summit open, chairman of the occasion, the Amir of Birnin Gwari, Malam Zubair Jibril Maigwari II, commended the present government of Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai of Kaduna state for showing more concern on the insecurity affecting the local government area, especially cases of daily highway armed robbery.
He however, called for more concerted military operations in all the surrounding forests zones of the town as the spate of kidnappings and cases of armed robbery are still going on unabated and the perpetrators are hiding in those forests unchallenged.
The speakers among others include the chief conservator Kamuku National Park Birnin Gwari the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), the chairman Vigilante Group Birnin Gwari, the Officer Forest Conservation, the chairman NURTW Kaduna state, the past chairmen and sole administrators of Birnin Gwari Local Government area, the current sole administrator Birnin Gwari local government and  Head of Service Kaduna State.
The menace of insecurity bedevilling the entire local government was discussed by the speakers based on the theme of the summit “Prospects of Government and Community Cooperation in Addressing the Security Challenges in Birnin Gwari local government”.
After exhaustive discussions, the summit observed and appreciated the efforts being made by the Kaduna State Government under the leadership of Malam Nasir Ahmad El Rufai to curb the insecurity issues affecting Birnin Gwari as evident in various efforts and interventions.
The summit particularly embraced wholeheartedly the gracious offer made by the Kaduna State government for greater community’s involvement in the maintenance of security of our communities.
The summit recognised and appreciated the efforts and contributions made by the Emir of Birnin Gwari Malam Zubair Jibril Mai Gwari II for his tireless efforts towards bringing  an end to this menace.
The summit recognised all efforts being rendered by individuals like the Kaduna State Head of Service, the SSG to the Kaduna State Government, Birnin Gwari Local government Sole Administrator, all elected and non elected personalities whom have showed great concerns about the plight of our community and whom have contributed and sacrificed a lot for our safety.
The summit further observes that the spate of highway armed robbery, abduction cases and cattle rustling continue unabated.
The summit was organised to identify and extensively discuss the various reasons behind the escalation of the problem of armed robbery and kidnapping along Kaduna – Birnin Gwari and Birnin Gwari –Funtua Highways and in some villages, as well as to suggest possible ways of curbing the problem.
It had in attendance of 150 relevant stakeholders drawn from political leaders, traditional rulers, security agencies, NURTW, government officials, religious leaders, and other non-governmental organizations.
The Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union (BEPU) was formed to foster unity among all sons and daughters of Birnin Gwari emirate and to work together towards development of the emirate in all aspects of human life, also to serve as a forum for discussing problems affecting citizens of the emirate with a view to finding their solutions.

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