September 14, (THEWILL) – A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Musa Iliyasu Kwankwaso, has urged the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other Northern groups, to support the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle and the Nigerian troops, in their efforts to rid the region of kidnapping and banditry.
Kwankwaso made the call in a statement distributed to newsmen in Kano on Saturday.
He made the plea following the recent neutralisation of the notorious kidnapping and banditry Kingpin, Halilu Sububu, by Nigerian troops in Zamfara State.
He urged the Northern groups “to put all sentiments aside” and rally round the defence minister and the troops to enable them to defeat the kidnappers and bandits in the region.
Musa Illiyasu, a former Commissioner in the defunct Ganduje administration in the state, also called on other Nigerians to support the minister and the troops.
According to him, the relocation of the minister to Sokoto and the deployment of more troops to the area are yielding good results, hence the need for Nigerians to support them in the combat operations against the criminals, to enable them to succeed.
“The killing of Halilu Sububu by the military is a welcome development and will be followed by the neutralisation of other banditry kingpins such as Bello Turji”, he said.
Kwankwaso also said that with the renewed efforts of the military Nigeria would grow enough food crops, as one of the major reasons for food shortages in the country is the seizure of farmlands in parts of the North.
“Sooner than later, all those farming lands seized from their owners by the bandits will be returned to them and full farming activities will resume, and issues of hunger and starvation will disappear”, he added.
Abdullahi Yusuf is a seasoned journalist, communicator and was previously the Deputy Editor-In-Chief and Zonal Manager, News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Jos, where he retired on December 15, 2021
