*As bandits sack several communities
By Gabriel Udeh
Humanitarian crisis brewing in Zuru Emirate, Kebbi State, has assumed a terrible dimension as thousands of villagers fled their Communities each day owing to increased invasions by bandits in the last one week, our correspondent who went round affected areas has revealed.
Currently three of the four Local Government Areas (LGAs) that make up the Zuru Emirate are most affected, they are: Sakaba, Donka/Wasagu and Fakai LGAs respectively.
The Kebbi State Government, through Kebbi State Commissioner of Information, Rakiya Tanko Ayuba affirmed the situation over the weekend, but said that the state government is doing something to address the situation.
Also, the Member representing Sakaba Constituency at the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Hon. Salisu Dangoje, who spoke to Daybreak, lamented the humanitarian crisis in his Constituency and called for urgent assistance before it is too late.
Blessed with low hills, several rivers and wide fertile valleys, the Emirate, by the standard of Northern Nigeria is relatively prosperous.
Acclaimed for its huge breeds of livestock which include cattle, sheep and camel, Zuru Emirate is blessed with a landmass of 9000kmsq, (more than the size of Anambra and Lagos State combined).
Camels and oxes are also deployed into semi-mechanised farming, thus churning out millions of tons of grains for sales across the country.
Baditry which started as isolated cases in Zuru Emirate some years ago, has increased steadily and presently a daily occurrence and has disrupted the agrarian community,
A large share of locals livestock have been rustled and most of their owners displaced from their Communities.
As at the time of filing this report there were reported ongoing raids in rural Communities in broad daylight. This is causing a massive influx of villagers who sometimes trek for hours to reach the nearest urban or semi-urban areas that are considered safe in Zuru Emirate.
“Right now the number of refugees in Donka town is three or four times the number of residents here,” said Mallam Jibrin Abubakar Danko, the village head of Donka, a semi-urban settlement in Donka/Wasagu LGA.
“I can’t estimate their numbers, but they are in their thousands,” he said.
“They are still coming each day and feeding them is a huge challenge,” he said.
According to him, most of them escaped with only what they had on, carrying not a grain of food.
“Some of the women have resorted to begging. I don’t know what will happen in the next few weeks,” he said, ” we need urgent intervention,” he pleaded.
The displaced persons are almost everywhere that looks secured in the Emirate including Zuru town, and it’s satellite areas such as Sabon Gari and the historically rich Dabai town.
Other areas where human misery could be seen are Ribab, Bena, Waje, Ayu, Yalmo and Unashi, which was also viciously attacked last April.
Other places where the IDPs can be sighted are: Diri Daji, Dirin Gida, Jan Birni, Beve among other areas our correspondent could not visit.
“We are hungry all the time and we don’t know how long we can manage it here” said Mariam Bitrus, 50, mother of 11 children at the United Mission Church of Africa (UMCA) at Diri Daji , while speaking with our correspondent weekend.
“My village (Maganda, Adai ward in Sakaba LGA) was attacked by thieves and they stole our cattle and burnt our grains and we had to run down here,’ she said.
“The food that the government shared did not reach us. And it is more than two weeks now,” she added.
Kebbi State government has said it was aware of the humanitarian situation in the Emirate and it was doing something about it.
According to Kebbi State Commissioner of Information, Rakiya Tanko Ayuba, the state government and individuals have donated food items recently, but that more will be done for the IDPs.
“No government or any human being that will not be touched by what is happening in Zuru Emirate,” she said.
“The governor is deeply troubled by the development and he is putting in measures to assist the security personnel on ground with more logistics and other support.
As for the IDPs we shall continue to assist them with food and other essentials. We are pleading for the understanding of everyone.
“We are also asking for prayers that God will intervene in this matter,” she told our correspondent on the phone.
In the same manner, a member of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Salisu Dangoje, said, “while we need food and clothing urgently, our foremost demand is security, Our people are not poor and lazy. They are rich from farming and keeping animals. Once there is adequate security they will return and start their lives all over,” he said.
