How military recovered Kebbi villages from bandits, says gov

Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, on Thursday, praised the Nigerian military for achieving remarkable success in his state against bandits.

Speaking when he received the acting  General Officer Commanding (GOC) 8 Division, Sokoto, Brig. Gen. Ibikunle Ademola-Ajose, at the Government House in Kebbi, Governor Idris said when he first came into office, many areas in the state were under the control of bandits, who had chased away the villagers.

According to him, the situation has now remarkably improved after military efforts.

He said, “On the issue of security in Kebbi State, it is a well-known fact that the military has made us proud. We have no cause whatsoever not to thank the officers and the men.

“When I came as a governor, people had abandoned their towns and villages, abandoned their farmlands because of fear of banditry, especially in the southern part of Kebbi State.

“And everybody knows that Kebbi is an agrarian state, especially its southern part, where we produce so many cash crops. We sat down with the security agencies and put everything on the table, we X-rayed and arrived at a conclusion and this yielded positive results and because of your efforts, many people now go back to their farms.”

The governor urged the military not to relent, promising the continued cooperation of his administration.

“I charge you to continue with the efforts to enable people to sleep in their houses with their two eyes closed and go to their farms without any fear of bandits.

“Brig. Gen. Sani Ahmed has done well; we have to say it. We cannot count the number of times we didn’t allow him to rest until the problem of insecurity was solved. Therefore, we have not regretted working with him,” Idris said.

He advised the new acting GOC to build on the legacies of his predecessor, who, according to him, discharged his constitutional duties diligently.

Earlier, the new acting GOC, Brig. Gen. Ademola-Ajose, described his visit as nostalgic and homecoming, “because two decades ago, I was in Kebbi, I served in 1 Battalion as a captain. Therefore, coming back home is very heartwarming.”

“I am here to introduce myself as the new GOC 8 Division. I must sincerely appreciate His Excellency and the people of Kebbi for the support given to the military, especially for the support in the fight against criminals,” the GOC said.