Bauchi governor, Bala Mohammed, has decried the activities of bandits in the state, saying that they are beginning to overwhelm his domain.
The governor said this in his speech when he received the Bauchi State Council of Emirs, who paid him a courtesy visit at the Exco Chamber of the Government House on Wednesday.
He said that because of the Federal Government’s sustained war against bandits and terrorism in other zones of the country, Bauchi is becoming a hiding place for the unscrupulous elements beginning to disturb the state’s peace.
He, however, said that his administration was not resting on its oars but was working hard to ensure the peace of lives and properties of the state’s citizens.
Punch quoted him as saying:
“With regards to internal security, I am glad to inform you that we have established a Ministry of Internal Security that will partner with the Federal Government just to drive the issue of providing internal security. We have our own vigilante that is working with the established security.
“Other states are moving ahead; we have one of the largest populations in the region, and so with the activities of the Federal Government in other parts of the geopolitical zones, the bandits are coming to Bauchi.
“We will have to go the extra mile to make sure we checkmate them. We are doing that, but certainly, we’re getting overwhelmed, and that is why we call on the Federal Government to help us and to come to our aid, to do that thing that they are doing in the north-west so that as we have always been a sanctuary of peace, we’ll maintain that status.”
He urged President Bola Tinubu not to ignore Bauchi state because the opposition’s Democratic Party governs it.
“We cannot be left out because we are in the opposition; we have to be in the mainstream. Nothing works in Nigeria without Bauchi.
“We are controlling the balance of power, the balance of tradition and knowledge, and with people like you, I am calling on the Federal Government not to ignore us because we are in PDP.
“We are a state, and we are ready to work with the Federal Government,” he added.
