Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar on Thursday described the northern region as the worst place in the country to live due to the activities of bandits.
He stated this at the fourth quarterly meeting of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) in Abuja.
The Sultan said bandits now move around with AK-47 rifles, purchasing foodstuffs and other items and even collecting change without any challenge from the security agencies.
“Security situation in Northern Nigeria has assumed a worrisome situation. Few weeks ago, over 76 persons were killed in a community in Sokoto in a day. I was there with the governor to commiserate with the affected community,” he said.
“Unfortunately, you don’t hear these stories in the media because it’s in the north. We have accepted the fact that the north does not have strong media to report the atrocities of these bandits.
“People think north is safe but that assumption is not true. In fact, it’s the worst place to be in this country because bandits go around in the villages, households and markets with their AK 47 and nobody is challenging them.
“They stop at the market, buy things, pay and collect change, with their weapons openly displayed. These are facts I know because I am at the centre of it.
“I am not only a traditional ruler, I am also a religious leader. So, I am in a better place to tell the story. I can speak for the north in this regard because I am fully aware of the security challenges there. We have to sincerely and seriously find solutions to the problem, otherwise, we will find ourselves soon, in a situation where we would lose sleep because of insecurity.”
The meeting also had in attendance the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese Ignatius Kaigama and others.
