Wife of Nigeria’s President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, has challenged security agencies to quickly end banditry and other insecurity challenges in parts of the country.
Mrs Buhari who made the call on Saturday in Katsina while distributing relief materials to over 25,000 victims of bandits attacks, said it was necessary to degrade the criminals before they end the civil population.
“The security agents should either assist to take action or allow the situation continue until bandits finished killing our people,” she said.
Mrs Buhari said that all well meaning Nigerians should talk on things that were going wrong in the country, so as to elicit necessary action.
“We are not supposed to be here giving rice, milk and others items to victims of an incident during Ramadan period.
“We should not keep silent while things are happening, thinking that if something happens today it will not happen tomorrow,
“What happened today, will happen tomorrow, it will also happen next tomorrow if we keep silent.
“It is compulsory to speak the truth, it is not proper for us to give highest number of votes during the general elections and allow bandits continue killing people and keep quiet.
“We must speak on whatever is going wrong in the country,” she said.
Mrs Buhari said that she and wives of the former governors of Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom (Sen. Godswill Akpabio), were among those who donated the relief materials to the victims.
Earlier, the District Head of Katsina, Alhaji Aminu Abdulmumini, thanked the President’s wife for the gesture.
He called on the government to intensify efforts toward addressing the menace.
“These people need assistance, but they want the government to address the situation to enable them continue with their normal life.
“Almost on daily basis, we hear sound of Nigerian Air Force fighter jets, yet, bandits are killing people, we don’t know what is happening,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that items distributed by Mrs Buhari included rice, milk, sugar and clothes among others to no fewer than 25,988 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The IDPs were from Batsari, Kurfi, Faskari, Danmusa, Jibia, Safana, Kankara local government areas among others
In another development, Mrs. Buhari, urged the National Social Investment Programme (N-SIP) to support poor people in Katsina State including those devastated by banditry.
Mrs Buhari who was in Batsari, Katsina State on Saturday to distribute relief materials to victims of banditry, noted that although N500 billion was released by the Federal Government to assist vulnerable Nigerians, only a few had benefited.
Nigeria Everyday reports it is the second time in a fortnight that the First Lady will be calling out the SIP warehoused in the Office of the Vice President.
Recall that Mrs Buhari had earlier said the N500 billion programme has not reached parts of the north.
“I don’t know the method they used but most of the northern states do not get it. My state did not get it. How many of you get it in your state? My state did not benefit from it,” Mrs Buhari had said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that when Mrs Buhari asked the IDPs if any of them had received the N10,000 assistance, the response was negative.
“National Social Investment Programme should go to Katsina state and give them their assistance.
“These people gave over one million votes during the general elections, they really need the assistance and they deserve to be given,” she said.
She also urged the National Emergency Management Agency to come to the aid of the Internally Displaced Persons in the state.
Earlier, the Transition Committee Chairman, Batsari Local Government, Alhaji Mannir Muazu, said that over 18,000 people were displaced by banditry in the area.
He said that 13,000 of the victims were children while the remaining 4,000 were women from 28 communities across the area.
Some of the IDPs interviewed, commended Mrs Buhari for the gesture.
Malama Fatima Kasai, a female victim, said that the bandits dislodged them from their community, took away their food and valuables, killed majority of their husbands and raped some of the women.
Kasai urged the government to take measures to end the attacks and prevent a reocurrence.
NAN reports that the relief materials distributed by Mrs Buhari included rice, milk, clothes, among others.