From Ankeli Emmanuel, Sokoto
Worried by the unrelenting attacks, killings, maiming and abduction of their loved ones as well as the displacement of thousands from their ancestral communties, the people of Kebbe Local Government in Sokoto have asked the federal and state governments if they should accept the anomalies as their new normal, seeing that governments at all levels have failed to protect them, or arm themselves to defend their people and natal land in order not to starve to death
The residents’ frustration, which was expressed during a media conference at the Sokoto Secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), saw a visibly truamatised people at a crossroads of survival.
Speaking at the media conference at the weekend, the people under the auspices of “Concerned Citizens Of Kebbe” said they have been pushed to the edge and would be left with no further option but to take up arms in self defence if those saddled with the constitutional responsibly to protect them did not act fast.
Leaders of the group, Adamu Haruna Kebbe and Tukur Mohammed Fakku, who spoke with raw anguish, said over 30 villages wee now deserted in Kebbe local government with hundreds of families scattered.
“Now, insecurity in the once peaceful villages of Kebbe has hit the roof. It has gotten to the point that compounds are now empty. Most villages are deserted. And the very few left, no longer sleep because they have to fight to survive” the leaders said.
“We are burying people on daily basis as we await unfulfilled promises of safety. And this therefore, has forced us to decide to arm ourselves not because we have the thirst for violence but as the last resort to save our generation.
“This is not rebellion, rather a cry from a grieving community on behalf of many currently facing untold insecurity to both the state and federal governments demanding they either protect is or allow us to arm ourselves, give us the training, licence our weapons and leave us to defend our children, with oversight from the relevant authorities.
“And as things stands, we are ready to sell out the farmlands that sustained us for generations to raise money for weapons if nothing changes. Now, we are ready to trade our sources of livelihood (farmlands) for weapons to help secure our lives and the future of our children.
“To worsen our pains, the federal allocations meant for Kebbe have been withheld on grounds of bureaucracy
“We therefore urged Sokoto State and the Federal Government to act decisively to protect us, release the funds and relief materials for our people or allow us to fight to live and defend our families,” they submitted.
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