The lawmaker representing Sokoto East senatorial district, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, has accused the military of abandoning the people of his constituency in the time of distress.
He made the allegation during plenary on Tuesday at the Senate Chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
In his contribution to a motion raised by Senator Sabi Abdullahi, the lawmaker decried that the alleged abandonment of the people has exposed them to attacks by bandits.
Earlier, Senator Abdullahi in his motion drew the attention of the Senate to the activities of bandits in Niger State.
He had also called on the Federal Government to extend its ongoing military operations in Zamfara and Katsina States to flush out bandits in Niger State.
On his part, Senator Gobir criticised the military, saying many of the people in Sokoto have fled to the Niger Republic for safety.
He also accused the military of not responding to distress calls from the people when bandits attack their communities.
According to the lawmaker, the people of Sokoto have lost thousands of cattle worth N2.5 billion to attacks by bandits.
He added that the activities of the bandits have displaced about 5,000 people in Basira area along the border between Nigeria and the Niger Republic.
In their resolution, lawmakers in the Senate commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his proactive leadership and directives on security amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
They, however, appealed to him to direct the military to extend their operations to Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto, and other states where the bandits were attacking innocent citizens.
The Senate also resolved to ask the military authorities to increase their surveillance and track the bandits.
