The Federal Government in partnership with the Sokoto State Governments are set to return over 50,000 Nigerian refugees from Niger Republic.
The refugees are mainly from the eastern parts of Sokoto state, especially from Sabon Birnin and Isa Local Government Areas of the state.
The lawmaker representing Sokoto East (APC), Senator Ibrahim Gobir stated this on Sunday while briefing newsmen in Sokoto.
“I was able to discuss with the National Security Adviser and I told him that the people are still there.
“I told him they are still in the Republic of Niger and of course they need to be repatriated back home,” the legislator made this known to newsmen on Sunday in Sokoto.
Gobir said that he had told the NSA of the need to boost security for the refugees to return home.
“Personally, I was even there, because, I was at Tudun Sunnah and I shed tears when I went there, because I saw over 50,000 refugees there, men, women and children from Sokoto state,” Gobir said.
He expressed concern that the situation he saw there was ”grave and disheartening”.
Gobir said that the refugees are located at Tudun Sunnah, Shada Kwari and Dadada, all in Gidan Runji Local Government of Niger Republic.
He disclosed that he donated 150 bags of rice, millet and guinea corn to alleviate the suffering of the refugees during the holy month of Ramadan.
The lawmaker also decried that kidnapping was still going on in the eastern part of Sokoto state.
Gobir said: “It has not gone down, because they are still going there, picking people gradually.
“Small by small picking. I can’t say they don’t kill. Can you say that a bandit cannot kill? They kill.”
He therefore urged security agencies to be more focussed in the ongoing anti-banditry war.
“If there is going to be an onslaught, it should not only be done in Sokoto state, it should be done in Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and Niger States at the same time.
“They have to do that at the same time, so that they should be able to stop other bandits from moving outside the place they are killing people.
“For example, if you are having an onslaught in Sokoto, most of them will either go to Zamfara or Katsina.
“But, if you are doing the onslaught at the same time, a synergised one, then I don’t think there will be any escape route for the bandits,” the lawmaker added.
Gobir further maintained that the Federal Government has given enough money to the security agencies to enable them successfully execute the anti-banditry war.
He said “no security agency can say that they are not given money, I don’t think it’s correct.
“The President is doing whatever he can do to ensure he does it.
“Even the supplementary budget had more concerns on the prevailing security issues in the country.” (NAN)
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