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Forgive our inability to protect you fully, El-Rufai begs attacked villages

Clement Daniel with Agency report
Clement Daniel with Agency report
Why some forces in Aso Rock are working against Tinubu –el-Rufai
Kaduna State governor, El-Rufai

“Forgive us for our inability to protect you fully.”

These are the words of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to the people of Karewa and four other villages in Igabi and Giwa local government where 51 villagers were massacred by bandits on Sunday.

The governor promised however that the government through the security forces would continue to do its best to wipe out the bandits.

He also vowed that the government would not negotiate with bandits or grant them amnesty.

The governor who spoke during his visit to Karewa and four other villages said but for the intervention of security agencies, many villages would have been destroyed.

Four houses and six vehicles were destroyed in the attack, while the villagers are still searching for their missing family members.

“If not for the security agencies’ prompt intervention they would have wiped out the entire villages.

“I also came to apologise for failure to protect you fully, we are doing our best to minimise such incidents, you should continue to forgive us.

“But we are doing the best we can and we are hoping that this banditry issue will be addressed because security personnel are on ground to manage the situation.

“In Kaduna we have vast land, if the security closes one area they attack another area,” he lamented.

The governor told the villagers that he had asked the security agencies to wipe out the bandits.

“It is our duty to wipe them out, and until we send them to their maker, the security agencies are taking the war to the forest and we are eliminating them,” he said.

According to him, security operatives intervened shortly after the attack, both on ground and in the air, and succeeded in wiping out the attackers.

“The security agencies are doing the best they can, but they find it difficult to get to remote areas in good time due to poor access roads while the natives also find it difficult to get to security personnel due to poor GSM network.

“But I am grateful to the Air Force, Army, Police and the DSS  for being always prompt otherwise it would have been worse.”

He urged the people to continue to be patient and vigilant, as well as support government and security agencies to win the war against the bandits.

El-Rufai prayed for peaceful repose of the souls of those who died and directed the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, to provide relief materials for the victims.

News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the villages attacked were Hashimawa, Marina, Kerawa, Unguwan Musa and  Zariyawa.

The governor was accompanied by the GOC 1 Division, Commissioner of Police, Director of DSS  and chairmen of  Igabi and Giwa local councils.

Earlier, the District Head of Karewa, Alhaji Ibrahim Damu, called on the state government to intensify efforts in tackling security challenges in the area, as the people were living in constant fear.

He also urged residents to be vigilant at all times to assist agencies out to protect them with needed information.

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