Emir of Yashikira, Umoru Seriki, Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, is distressed that concerned authorities have abandoned communities under attacks by a terror group named ‘Mahmuda’ allegedly occupying some parts of the Kwara North Senatorial District and Niger State.
Reacting to the development in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Sunday, Seriki lamented that “the situation is that we are totally demoralized, we are not happy with what the authorities are saying that there is no presence of terrorists in our domains.
“We are not happy and we feel abandoned by the government and left on our own, but as the situation is, we have no choice than to continue to defend ourselves.
“It is very unfortunate that we have complained about this thing earlier and nobody seems to pay attention to our plight.”
The attacks, according to the
traditional ruler, are not only in Baruten and Kaiama local governments of
Kwara state, but also Borgu Kingdom in Niger State.
Seriki, while confirming last
week’s attacks by the terrorists, disclosed that the security vehicle bought by
the people for operations by the vigilantes was bombed by the terrorists.
“We are just lucky that our
vigilantes survived the attacks though some suffered some bruises.
“The casualties we suffered were
not actually 15, but we suffered some casualties and the terrorists also
suffered some casualties.
“So that is the situation, what
the social media is actually reporting is the truth, we are just praying to God
to help and protect us in the current situation we are facing,” he added.
DAILY POST recalls that the Kwara
State Police Command last week refuted alleged emergence of a terror group
named ‘Mahmuda’ within Kaiama and Baruten Local Government Areas of the state.
The command also categorically
dismissed the claim that 15 vigilantes have been killed by the terror group,
describing it as false and devoid of any factual basis.
A statement by the spokesperson
of the command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in Ilorin on Saturday, said
comprehensive and continuous threat assessments, intelligence surveillance, and
tactical reconnaissance operations in the said areas have yielded no evidence
of insurgent activity, coordinated terrorist formations, or mass casualty
incidents as described.
“The claim of 15 vigilantes being
killed is entirely false and devoid of any factual basis,” he said.
The police command assured the
public that all security formations within Kwara State remain proactive and are
strategically deployed under a multi-agency operational framework involving the
Nigeria Police Force in collaboration with other sister security agencies.
The command asserted that no
breach of internal security has been reported or observed in the aforementioned
communities, adding that “our community engagement structures, including
Vigilante Commanders and District Heads, have not relayed any such incidents”,
which confirms some published reports to be misleading and inciting.
“While we recognize the volatile
nature of cross-border movements around the Kainji Lake National Park, the
Kwara state police command has maintained effective situational control across
all border communities.
“We urge members of the public
and media outlets to refrain from spreading unverified information capable of
generating unnecessary panic.
“The Kwara Police Command under
the leadership of CP Adekimi Ojo, remains committed to safeguarding lives and
property and encourages citizens to report any suspicious activity through
official channels for prompt response,” the statement added.
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com