The senator representing Kaduna Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Sen. Shehu Sani, has expressed alarm over the emergence of an armed group in Sokoto State.
Premium Times had reported Friday complaints by locals that a strange armed group from neighbouring Niger Republic was operating in parts of Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State, carrying arms and demanding levies from residents.
According to a witness quoted by the online newspaper, the group members, numbering more than 200, were in possession of assorted weapons, preaching Islamic teachings, forcefully collecting alms (zakat) and flogging defaulters.
But Sani, who took to his verified Twitter handle on Saturday afternoon, said the nation could not deal with the fallout of another group in the mould of Boko Haram.
The dreaded Boko Haram terror group has wreaked havoc across the Lake Chad basin since 2009, with their presence in Nigeria now concentrated in three Northeastern states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno.
Sani said, “The emergence of an Armed group in Sokoto state must be investigated thoroughly and taken seriously. They must be nipped in the bud to prevent the rise of another monster from the North West, where already bandits hold sway in parts of Zamfara and Kaduna state. The FG must act now.”
See tweet:
The emergence of an Armed group in Sokoto state must be investigated throughly and taken seriously.They must be nipped in the bud to prevent the rise of another monster from the North West, where already bandits hold sway in parts of Zamfara & Kaduna state.The FG must act now.
— Senator Shehu Sani (@ShehuSani) December 1, 2018
However, the police have denied the emergence of an armed group in the state.
The Sokoto State Police Public Relations Officer, Cordelia Nwawe, who issued the rebuttal on Friday, said, “There’s nothing like armed bandits, there is no need for people to be scared. The commissioner of police and his deputy in charge of operations went and saved the situation.
“There’s no need for people to be apprehensive because whatever happened to Niger Republic has nothing to do with Nigeria. Those people are not operating in Nigeria but Niger Republic. Tangaza is a boundary community, despite people alleged that they saw strange people in the area with their camels, donkeys and wives, it is not in Nigeria.
“But we’re not taking anything lightly because we have mobilised more conventional policemen to make sure the people did not infiltrate into Nigeria.”