*Warns against danger of turning forest into another Sambisa
The Emir of Kaiama, Muazu Omar on Thursday pleaded with members of the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence to take proactive steps towards locating a military base in Kaiama Town, Kwara state to stop armed herdsmen from turning the Borgu forest into another Sambisa.
The emir at an interactive session with the House committee narrated the ordeal his people are going through in the hands of marauding herdsmen who have turned the Baruten, Kaiama, Borgu Forest covering over 3,970 square kilometres into their hideout.
Speaking at the session with the Rep. Sani Aminu Jaji led committee, the emir said: “We want an improvement on the security architecture of the area by re-establishing a military base in Kaiama as it used to be in the early 80s.
“More so, against the background that the army had acquired a large parcel of land for the purpose of building a permanent military barracks. The suspected insurgents who carry out the killings in Kaiama are believed to be encamped in the forest from where they carry out coordinated attacks.
“Initially, they limited their activities to occasional harassment of farm settlements and villages for the purpose of seizing food items, livestock and cooking utensils ostensibly to support their stay in the forest.”
He requested the House members to amend the Kainji Lake National Park Act (Decree 42) of 1979, with a view to reducing the size of the national park by shifting its South-Western border northwards in order to create sufficient cultivable land for the people of Baruten and Kaiama.
Committee Chairman, Rep. Jaji, expressed concern over the recurring cases of insurgent attacks on communities in Kwara state, as well as the presence of insurgents in forests linking Kaduna, Niger, Kwara and Zamfara states.
He harped on the need for a holistic approach towards ending the spate of insurgency and charged security agencies to be proactive in protecting lives and property.
Daily Times reports that the interactive session was sequel to the motion sponsored by Rep. Zakari Mohammed, drawing attention to the invasion of parts of Kaiama and Baruten Local Government Areas of Kwara state by gunmen suspected to be cattle rustlers and insurgents.
A representative of Inspector General of Police, DSP Ebong Eyibio, informed members of the House committee that the killings and attacks were carried out by bandits, adding that three people have been arrested, prosecuted and serving various jail terms.
He added that 13 other persons who were arrested are being interrogated pending their prosecution.
According to him, over 1,000 police and other security personnel have been deployed to restore peace in the troubled areas, while plans are underway to construct one police command in the area.
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