The Governorship Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Sokoto State, Hon. Manir Muhammad Dan’iya, has expressed grave concern over the fresh threat by bandits to attack Kebbe town, kill residents and burn the community unless a reported ₦40 million levy is paid within seven days. Dan’iya described the development as further evidence that Sokoto State is under severe security pressure and demanded to know what the APC-led Sokoto State Government has done, and what it is currently doing, to stop the alarming deterioration of security across the state.
In a statement issued by his Media Aide, Aminu Abdullahi, Dan’iya said the reported demand, allegedly communicated through a local farmer to the District Head of Kebbe, represents an unacceptable level of criminal control over the lives and economic activities of citizens. He noted that the bandits reportedly gave the community five days to raise the money before extending the deadline to seven days following appeals from residents, while the telephone allegedly used by the criminals was handed over to the police. He said the fact that a community can be threatened with mass killing and destruction over a ransom demand should be an urgent warning to every level of government.
Dan’iya accused the APC-led Sokoto Government of neglecting its responsibility to protect citizens despite the security assurances and campaign promises made before the 2023 election. He said the people of Sokoto deserve to be reminded of the strong assurances given by the present administration before it assumed office, particularly promises that security would receive priority attention. “What has happened to those promises? What has the APC Government in Sokoto done differently to stop bandits from dictating terms to our communities?” he asked, stressing that government cannot continue to make promises while communities are repeatedly attacked, residents displaced and criminals demand levies from law-abiding citizens.
The ADC candidate said the situation has reached a critical stage, with insecurity affecting communities across the state and, according to reports available to him, only a very small number of the state’s 23 Local Government Areas enjoying relative safety while many others continue to face serious threats from bandits and kidnappers. He warned that the continuing attacks are destroying agriculture, businesses, education and rural livelihoods and forcing citizens to live under constant fear. He also criticised what he described as the apparent preoccupation of the APC leadership with political activities and campaigns, including efforts to secure continued political power, while citizens are being killed and communities are struggling to survive.
Dan’iya called on Governor Ahmad Aliyu and the Federal Government under the APC to urgently deploy sufficient security personnel, intelligence resources and operational support to Kebbe and other vulnerable communities before the reported deadline expires. He urged the security agencies to work with traditional rulers and local communities to prevent the threatened attack, while warning residents not to take the threat lightly. “Sokoto is under siege and the people cannot afford another tragedy. Government must stop treating insecurity as a political talking point and start treating it as the emergency it is,” he said.
The ADC gubernatorial candidate commended security personnel and community leaders who continue to work under difficult circumstances and called for a coordinated strategy capable of dismantling the networks enabling banditry and kidnapping in Sokoto. He maintained that the APC administration must be held accountable for its record on security and urged the people of Sokoto to critically assess the situation ahead of 2027. “The people have a right to ask what has been achieved with the promises made to them. A government that cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens must be prepared to answer to those citizens,” Dan’iya stated, reaffirming that the ADC is prepared to offer a government that makes the protection of lives and property, economic recovery and the welfare of the people its foremost responsibility.