Council Chairmen Targets Of Armed Robbers In Sokoto

Attacks on local government chairmen in Sokoto State have become an ugly trend in the state as six of the 23 local government chairmen in the state have been attacked recently, according to a report, yesterday, by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Investigations by NAN revealed that the local government chairmen attacked recently were those of Shagari, Kebbe, Tambuwal, Tureta, Bodinga and Rabah Local Government Areas.
The latest of the attacks was on the Chairman of Rabah Local Government Area, Zayyanu Gandi, who sustained injuries and was discharged from the Uthmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto on September 21.
The Sokoto house of Gandi had earlier been attacked during the last Ramadan fasting in July.
It was also learnt that the Sokoto and Tureta houses of the Tureta Local Government Chairman, Ibrahim Dansarki, were similarly attacked by hoodlums.
In some of the raids, the robbers had carted away undisclosed cash and property, with scores of persons injured.
A strange twist to the attacks, as shown by investigations, is that such attacks are not often reported to various police divisions by the affected chairmen.
According to sources, some of the 23 local government chairmen were said to have rejected the policemen attached to their various houses.
The Chairman of Bodinga Local Government, Shehu Badau, said there was need for prayers at a time like this.

“We are only praying to God to provide a lasting solution to all the problems affecting Nigeria, including the current security challenges,” he said.
Badau also confirmed that he had asked the two policemen attached to his house at his hometown, Badau, to leave due to “some reasons”.
“One of them twice attempted to r*pe one of my female domestic aides and I asked them to leave.
“I had informed the authorities of the state police command about the reasons for my action.
“Only officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) are now operating at my house in Badau, from 6am to 6pm daily,” he said.
Confirming the attacks, spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, El-Mustapha Sani said that “most of them were not reported to various police divisions.
“The local government chairmen were also, hitherto, rejecting our police details but they have now started accepting them back. This is better,” he said.
He added that the police were ready to ensure the safety of lives and property of residents of the state.
“This is our constitutional duty and we will never renege in doing so, although we need the support of all the strata of the people of the state as usual,” Sani stated.