Name governor behind banditry, let Nigerians deal with him – Yakasai tells APC

A northern elder statesman and founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has asked the All Progressives Congress to name the governor in the North-West region said to be behind the rising banditry and killings, so that Nigerians can deal with such fellow.

Yakasai, also a founding member of the Northern Elements Progressive Union, stated this in an interview with SaharaReporters on Wednesday, noting that the APC, by keeping quiet on the identity, was not helping the country because there would be no penalty to serve as a deterrent.

Last Thursday, the APC had accused a governor from one of the six North-West states as being responsible for the intense upsurge of banditry and killings in the region.

Mr Yekini Nabena, the APC acting National Publicity Secretary, had said that “an intelligence report” linked the governor to the heightened cases of banditry, abductions and other violent crimes in the zone.

Speaking with SaharaReporters, Yakasai said the APC should expose the governor and let Nigerians deal with him.

The elder statesman said, “They (APC) did not tell us who the governor is. That is the problem. It looked like mere speculation. So, we need to know who that governor is. Everybody is looking for a solution and when somebody has done something wrong, they should expose him so that the society will be against him and he will desist.

“If they keep it to themselves, they are not helping the country. So, I want them to name the person so that we can deal with him – even in the public opinion.”

Speaking on the land borders’ reopening by the Federal Government, Yakasai noted that despite the insecurity, the country could not remain closed forever.

He said, “This is a country of 200 million people, there is no way that we can have uniformity of views. Some would see the land border reopening as right while others would see it as a wrong decision. But what is important is that we can’t keep them permanently closed. It is not possible.

“So, I believe that the more open we are, the better it is for our progress. Man is a social being. The government needs to find a solution to the insecurity across the country. They need to stem the tide.”

Yakasai is among other notable northern voices calling on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to address the rising insecurity in the country.

Last Saturday, a Coalition of Northern Groups had criticised Buhari over his inability to secure the northern region from bandits, kidnappers and terrorists.

The spokesperson of the Coalition, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, had disclosed that many farmers in the region had abandoned their farmland uncultivated due to insecurity.

“A situation where dangerous security challenges such as the ones we are faced with, are being treated with levity and condescension by the President and those saddled with the responsibility of tackling them to the point where people are forcibly prohibited from accessing their farms and plying major roads and highways, or our schools forced to shut down with children forced out of school, is certainly unacceptable,” he had stated.