Jigawa council residents bemoan rising cases of kidnappings, robberies

RESIDENTS of Gwaram local council of Jigawa State are worried because of the activities of armed robbers and kidnappers in the town.
On Monday, the Head of Salamande Village in the local council, Alhaji Bala Musa was kidnapped for three days before his eventual release after his family paid N300,000 ransom.

The victim, who spoke to The Guardian, said that he spent three days with his abductors, feeding on bread and was not allowed to observe his five times daily prayer throughout the period.

According to him, his abductors arrived Malaji village where he went to visit his brother at about 1:30 am and kidnapped him after shooting sporadically into the air.
A day after his release, another 17 year-old boy, Abdulsalam, was also kidnapped in Ruga Nasarawa in Gwaram.
It was learnt that Abdulsalam was released when it became obvious that the family could not pay the amount demanded.

A security officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said they are afraid the kidnappers may be members of Boko Haram because two years ago they inhabited the Basirka forest before they were chased away, adding that the tension in Sambisa may have driven them to Basirka forest.

The source called on security agencies to look critically at this possibility and beef up security in the area, adding that armed robbers have made traditional market days impossible in Gwaram because of their constant raid on markets.
The Jigawa State Commissioner for Police, Mr. Usman Tilli, confirmed the incidence while speaking with newsmen, pointing out that the police was not aware whether a ransom was paid in the release of the village head.

Tilli, who also confirmed the latest abduction, stated that the police was doing everything possible to tackle the spate of kidnappings in the area.
According to him, when his officers combed the bush in search of the victims, 38 live ammunitions and two cell phones were recovered.
The police boss called on the people to help security agencies with relevant information to get rid of bandits in the area as well as in the state at large.

Meanwhile, the Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) yesterday announced February 13, 2016 as the date for local council election in the state.
This was disclosed to newsmen by the Chairman of JISIEC, Alhaji Muhammed Sani Ahmed, after a closed door meeting with leaders of the 21 political parties in the state.
He said the sale of forms will commence from 18th- 29th November 2015 while the verification will be from 15th December – 22nd December, adding that the election will hold on 13th February 2016.
Ahmed, who thanked the political parties for their cooperation in the past said the commission is ready to conduct credible election in the state, adding that staff of the commission have received training from INEC and other relevant NGOs in preparation for the poll.
He advised the political parties to mobilise and educate their members on conduct of election, adding that their voter education department has since commenced enlightenment of voters through the various media outlets.
In another development, the state chapter of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) says 25 youths in the state are undergoing training in poultry production and market gardening.

The NDE Coordinator in the state, Mr. Muhammad Sambo, disclosed this in Dutse on Wednesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Sambo said the training was being conducted under the Commercial Farming Training Scheme (CFTS) of the directorate.
He stated that the training, which began on October 20, would end on November 20.
According to him, the youth who are into poultry production, are being trained on how to rear day-old chicks up to chicken stage.
He said that those into market gardening were learning techniques on how to grow vegetables for sale.

The NDE boss, however, revealed that the 10 best among the trainees would be resettled by the directorate.
He said the directorate had over time introduced different skills acquisition training programmes for young entrepreneurs.
He explained that the training schemes were specifically designed to tackle unemployment and also reduce youth restiveness through the provision of functional skills.
Sambo, who pointed out that white-collar jobs were no longer available, urged youths to embrace agriculture for self-reliance.