The Katsina State Elders’ Forum has advised President Bola Tinubu to rejig his cabinet, asking the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency introduce Jangle Battalions to end banditry in the North.
According to the Forum, a significant number of soldiers must be deployed to the forests to fight the bandits and restore peace in the region.
Addressing a press conference on Friday in Katsina, the Chairman of the Forum, Habibu Saulawa who spoke through the Forum’s Secretary, Ali Mohammed, said the group is concerned about three major issues namely; the growing insecurity and poverty plaguing the state as well as the LGBT Agreement recently signed by the Federal Government.
“The cost of food items is rising by the day, everything is expensive, and the Northerners cannot afford three square meals. This is very serious and we are advising the Federal Government,” the Forum said.
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“Mr Tinubu has a listening ear and is a democrat and if his cabinet is not advising him well, please he should drop them and bring people with good ideas that will help him run his government the way Nigerians will be happy.”
On Nigeria’s security situation, the Forum described the situation as unfortunate, stating that soldiers are not helping matters despite their intelligence.
They said, “If our soldiers can go elsewhere in other countries to perform miracles and restore peace, why not in the Northern part of the country? Look at what Niger Republic, Cameroon, and Chad did recently. They killed several hundreds of bandits and seized thousands of their weapons.
“Our soldiers are more intelligent, proactive, determined, and more sophisticated than all those soldiers, what are they doing, who is behind this, who is against the North, please we want an explanation otherwise we are calling on the Federal Government to come up with immediate measures, let them introduce jangle battalions, put these soldiers in the forests, let them remain there and fight the bandits.
“The bandits are everywhere and they are known, they know where they are. We are calling on the President to please save Katsina State and the North for goodness’ sake.”
The Forum while reacting on the LGBT agreement recently signed by Nigeria’s Minister of Budget, Atiku Bagudu, on behalf of the Federal Government said, Katsina State vehemently objects to this arrangement as 98 per cent of the population are Muslims, stating that Christianity is also against the same-sex marriage.
“We are begging Mr president to please, reverse with immediate effect if truly they have gone and signed the LGBT agreement. Katsina State is out of it and we are ready to do anything and to go everywhere, we are sending this message to the Federal Government that Katsina State people are not in support of the LGBT,” the Forum said.
“We as Muslims and Christians believe and the religions are against LGBT and same-sex marriage. We are begging the Federal Government to reverse these decisions with immediate effect.”
