By Gabriel Atumeyi
365Daily – Bandits on Wednesday launched a ferocious attack on security personnel in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto state, 365Daily has learnt.
It was gathered that a resident was burnt alive while many policemen have been unaccounted for after the attack.
This is coming just few hours after the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare terrorists as bandits.
The demand by the Senate is coming on the heels of attack on Saturday in Sabon Birnin that witnessed the killing of at least 22 security personnel.
During the attack on Saturday, 27 persons, including women and children, were abducted from Gatawa, a community in Sabo Birni.
In a motion on Wednesday, the Senate asked President Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists and wage a total war against the criminals, including bombing all their locations, to annihilate and eliminate them.
The red Chamber also urged the president to declare all known leadership of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are, for arrest and prosecution.
These were part of the resolutions of the red chamber after considering a motion sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Gobir (Sokoto East), and co-sponsored by eight other senators.
Gobir noted that Sokoto East Senatorial District has now become a safe haven for bandits due to the current onslaught against them in Zamfara State.
According to Gobir, the gruesome murders of security personnel by the rampaging bandits portrayed the seriousness of the problem which he said demands urgent action through a declaration of total war on banditry.
Gobir said losing such high number of trained officers would further deplete the numerical strength of the security workforce in the country, and undermine Nigeria’s security architecture.
He further disclosed that most of the bandits have now relocated to Sabon Birni and Isa local government areas due to the sustained military operations at the Zamfara axis.
The lawmaker said while the crackdown on the bandits was taking place in Zamfara State, no concrete measures have been taken in Sokoto State, leaving it totally exposed to the activities of the bandits.
According to him, the present military onslaught on the bandits is not well coordinated because it is only being orchestrated in Zamfara State instead of all the front line states ravaged by banditry. ,
‘The operation should be holistic instead of restrictive in order to produce effective and the desired results,” he said.
The Senate observed a minute of silence in honour of the fallen heroes and civilians who lost their lives in the unwholesome activities of the bandits.