•Lawmaker weeps as Presidency scores self pass mark
Acting Governor of Katsina State, Faruk Lawal-Jobe, has called on the Federal Government to provide a comprehensive security support to protect his people from escalating attacks.
The appeal, yesterday, in Katsina, followed the tragic incident at Unguwan Muntau, in the Malumfashi Local Council of the state, where 13 worshippers were killed in a mosque.
Lawal-Jobe said President Bola Tinubu must check the persistent threats facing innocent citizens.
“We respectfully request Mr. President to give matching orders to all security agencies to holistically and decisively bring an end to these unprovoked attacks on our peaceful communities,” he said.
This is even as the lawmaker representing Malumfashi Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Aminu Ibrahim, yesterday, wept on the floor of the hallowed chamber over the persistent attacks in his legislative zone.
Ibrahim, who broke down in tears during plenary, lamented that bandits recently killed 30 people and burnt 20 others during recent onslaughts on some communities in the area.
He recalled that the attacks occurred at Gidan Adamu Mantau, Unguwar Yar Mai Dabo, and Makera villages in the Karfi Ward of the council area.
The lawmaker also said another community, Burdigau, in Yaba ward of the same council area, was equally under siege.
The emotional lawmaker stated that his people were facing a serious invasion from bandits and now live under constant fear.
Ibrahim alleged that despite reports to security operatives between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday about suspicious movements around the Burdigau community area, troops only arrived between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
He added that by dawn on Tuesday, the bandits struck, killing 30 worshippers during morning prayers at Unguwar Mantau.
However, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Communication, Sunday Dare, maintained that the country has made progress in addressing insecurity, stating that it is no longer in what he described as the “jeopardy zone.”
Speaking on a live programme yesterday, Dare maintained that while challenges remain, security conditions have improved compared to previous years.
“We have seen an improvement in the issue of security; I think we have left the jeopardy zone,” he said.
The presidential aide recollected that at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency years ago, the entire nation was under a “heavy insecurity cloud.”
He urged Nigerians to take a broader view, noting: “We must situate this conversation in context.
If you back up five, six years even to the Jonathan era you will see the difference. Our institutions are stronger today, and the government has responded more swiftly to flashpoints.”
Dare, however, acknowledged reports from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), indicating spikes in killings and human rights violations, particularly against children, vigilantes, and the elderly.
