BY Dyepkazah Shibayan
Pally Iriase, deputy whip in the house of representatives, says the bandits robbing and abducting people in Edo state are Boko Haram insurgents dislodged from Sambisa forest in Borno state.
Speaking with journalists at the weekend, Iriase said despite the presence of the military in Edo north, the attacks on the locals have increased and nothing is being done to address the situation.
The lawmaker said the residents of the affected areas are not only suffering in silence but are afraid of reprisal attacks “which are often more deadly”.
He said the criminals are not herdsmen, owing to the level of their sophistication.
While calling on the security agencies to collaborate in addressing the menace, Iriase expressed fears that if it is not controlled, what is happening in the north-east would become a norm in the south.
“The populace is suffering in silence for the fear of reprisal attacks which are often more deadly, the irony of this situation is that there are army formations at Agenebode, Estako east local government area and Nigogo barracks at Auchi in Estako west local government area,” said the lawmaker representing Owan west/east federal constituency of Edo.
“There is also a mobile force formation at Iyamo in Estako west if these security forces are coordinated and work in concert to flush out these bandits from their camps, security will be restored to their to Edo north. I hereby call on the military and police chiefs in Edo state to clear out these criminal camps before they develop into the safe havens for terrorists like Boko Haram.
“These bandits may well be members of the terrorists gang that have been dislodged from the north because, if you see the sophistication of their weaponry, if you see the audacity to which they what they do, if you see the mindlessness with which they go about their banditry, and their quest to extort ransom, you will know that these men are not herdsmen, they are pure terrorists.
“What they are doing is to create a safe haven in the forest around Edo north and I believe that if this is allowed then whatever we are suffering now in the north-east will be transferred to the south.
“They are not locals, if they were locals all you will know them for is this cut to size locally made pistols or at best pump action. You are talking about people wielding machine guns. People wielding AK 47, AK 47 is the least weapon, you see them carrying, so they are just beyond what people call herdsmen and they are very sharp shooters. All those they have killed they get them with one shot. If you are running just know you are gone, just make yourself available and pay whatever ransom they are talking about and like I said the populace is suffering in silence.
“There has to be an effort of the military and police, if this is not done, what you call cooperation (between security agencies and bandits) in whatever criminal tendencies can only be snuffed out by a concerted efforts by the security forces.”
He added that the government’s primary objective is to secure lives and property, hence the situation must be urgently addressed.
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