Reps urges FG to end banditry, farmer-herder clashes in Katsina, Gombe

This followed the adoption of motions by Rep. Aminu Babale (APC-Katisna) and Rep Inuwa Garba (PDP-Gombe) on the floor of the House on Wednesday, July 5, 2023 in Abuja.

Babale presented a motion titled: “The Need to Address the Incessant Banditry Attacks on villages in Dustin-Ma/Kurfi Federal Constituency of Katsina’’ at the plenary in Abuja on Wednesday. Lawmaker said such attacks had resulted to injuries and deaths of scores of innocent residents.

He recalled that on June 12, the communities of Tashar Yaro, Koza, Kudewa villages, Geza, Sauyawa, Tamawa, and Maileda within Kurfi and Dutsinma Local Government Areas of Katsina State were attacked by bandits and scores were displaced.

He added that these banditry activities had led to regular imposition of taxes on farmers before allowing them to access their farmlands. According to him, the failure of which often puts them at a risk of losing their livestock to rustlers as well as having their shops burgled by the daredevil kidnappers in search of foodstuff.

Babale said that the incessant attacks by the bandits had led to low farming productivity, thus aggravating the existing food insecurity in the affected communities. He said majority of the youths in the affected areas could end up with little or no income, thus worsening youth restiveness.

The House, however, urged the Federal Government to initiate a coordinated Joint Security Operation by providing aerial surveillance and other combat mission plans to flush out bandits. In a related development, Garba called for Intervention on the recurring annual clashes between farmers and herders in the Yamaltu–Deba Federal Constituency of Gombe State.

He said the previous efforts of the state government were yet to yield significant results as the annual clashes had continued to reoccur. According to him, this development has threatened the peace and security in the area and neighbouring states of Adamawa, Taraba and Benue.

This, according to him, has negatively impacted on food sufficiency because farming and other economic activities have been affected negatively. He said with the upcoming harvest season, a reoccurrence would continue if nothing tangible was done in terms of urgent intervention.

He added that the social economic development, security and the general wellbeing of the populace were paramount. To this end, the House resolved to set up an Ad–hoc Committee to interface with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Gombe State Government and relevant stakeholders.

It said this would find a lasting solution to the reoccurring clashes between farmers and herders in Yamaltu-Deba and neighbouring Local Government Areas.