Governor Bala Mohammmed on Monday says his government is battle-ready to confront bandits in Bauchi.

Mr Mohammed stated this when he paid a condolence visit to the family of ex-Governor Ahmed Muazu In Boto village,Tafawa Balewa local government area.

Some family members of the former governor were recently kidnapped, with a 25-year old man killed.

“We are going to take stringent measures. Some of those measures that are outside the security rules (of) engagement. We are going to use vigilante and community relations. Because this is the house of a former governor and those people who came, the hooligans and the charlatans, they came to insult us,” stressed the Bauchi governor.

He added, “It is a big affront and we want to take it as such. We will not sleep until we get them. We will not sleep until we protect our leaders because we have been exposed to the vagaries of expectations. This is a pure village settlement, it is not his fault that his relations are here and certainly we have to protect everyone and we know that they have informants. But our security agencies are working very hard to make sure they protect us and apprehend them.”

The governor urged district heads, village heads and local government executives to share information to prevent crimes.

“Please, don’t sleep; because nobody will do that for you. You have to protect yourselves. You have to stand up and protect yourselves. They cannot overcome us but we have to overcome them,” Mr Mohammed said. “We know their routes. They are coming from Plateau state through Kurgwi to Kardam and Lere and so on. “Insha Allah, since we know their routes and with technology, we are going to get them.”

The governor declared that “we are going to be very daring against them.”

Police commissioner Umar Sanda assured that the command’s operatives are on top of the situation and will soon apprehend the bandits.

(NAN)