The Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle, has called on residents of Sokoto State to report any jobless individuals living lavish lifestyles to security agencies, as part of efforts to combat the growing insecurity in the region.
Matawalle made this appeal during a meeting with stakeholders at the Sokoto State Governor’s office, emphasizing that such individuals could be acting as informants for bandits responsible for the ongoing unrest.
The minister’s visit to Sokoto, accompanied by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, was carried out under the directive of President Bola Tinubu.
During the meeting, Matawalle underscored the critical role of community involvement and intelligence sharing in the fight against banditry and other criminal activities plaguing Northern Nigeria.
He stressed that the success of security operations heavily depends on the cooperation and information provided by local residents.
“Like what we did while I was the governor of Zamfara State, let me call on the people of Sokoto State to always give information to the security agents,” Matawalle said.
“If you see someone who is not doing any work and such a person is changing cars, spending money lavishly, please do not hesitate to report such a person, as such person is liable to be an informant to bandits.”
Matawalle reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating criminal elements from the state and assured residents that decisive action would be taken against those involved in banditry. “We are here to crush the bad elements in our midst and by the special grace of God, we are crushing the bad elements among us,” he stated.
In a bid to bolster security efforts, Matawalle announced the recruitment of 200 individuals from each of the 23 local government areas into the Sokoto Community Guard Corps. This new initiative aims to support existing security teams and enhance community surveillance.
The minister also highlighted that some aspects of the security strategy are confidential, reassuring the public of ongoing efforts to improve safety across Sokoto State.
Sokoto State Governor, who was present at the meeting, expressed his support for the Defence Ministry’s initiatives and thanked the Federal Government for its continued efforts to address the security challenges in the state.
Matawalle concluded by expressing confidence that these measures would enable the people of Sokoto to feel safer and more secure in their daily lives, promising that the combined efforts of the community and security forces would lead to significant improvements in the fight against banditry.
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