Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has lamented the act of aiding and harbouring bandits who are killing and kidnapping people in the country, by some Muslim faithfuls in his state.
Mohammed who spoke at the Government House shortly after observing the Eid prayers stated that most of the banditry and kidnapping across the country are being perpetrated by Muslims, adding that the clerics are not courageous enough to tackle such elements.
The Governor stated that the government knows the bandits orchestrating various levels of criminalities in the country, however, some people are aiding and abetting the criminals to escape justice.
Mohammed however, assured that his government is determined to fish the bandits out and bring them to book.
The Governor, also called on the State and Local Governments to join hands with the Federal Government in tackling the insecurity situation rocking the country.
According to him, the problem would be solved only if there is collaborative efforts from the government at all levels.
In his words, “We are grateful to Allah. Ramadan has been a period of prayers and devotion. As a nation we need to reflect deeply on our common existence because we are challenged by so many aspects of our misdemeanors, crime and criminality.
”As a Muslim, most of the criminality is coming from us as members of the Islamic faith. That’s the issue of banditry, kidnapping and the rest.
”However, we must be very courageous to say it. It’s not something acceptable in the tenet of Islam. We should fear God to make sure we don’t give ourselves, our community and even our religion a bad name. We must have to change as this is really escalating to other parts of the country.
”We know these bandits. We know where they stay and what they do. Sometimes they are aided and abetted by us.
“We should fish them out because the police in their limited numbers are already overwhelmed due to insufficient human capital.
”Apparently, the FG security architecture has failed not because of any compromise but because the situation is overwhelming.
“It is the responsibility of the federal, state and local governments, including all the traditional institutions in the country.
”These problems can only with tackled with concerted efforts and collaboration from the federal, state and local governments,” he added.
