By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto
SOKOTO — Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State has distributed food items and cash assistance to 150 households displaced by bandit attacks across several communities.
The intervention, supervised by the council chairman, Hon. Musa Garba Kuchi, was carried out on Monday at the palace of the District Head of Kebbe, Sarkin Kabbin Kebbe, Hon. Lawal Labbo Margai, in Kebbe town.
Kuchi said the beneficiaries were drawn from communities affected by bandit attacks, including Ungushi, Girkau, Margai, Kebbe East and Kebbe West.
He said the beneficiaries were residents who had been forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods because of insecurity and were currently taking refuge in Kebbe town.
“The beneficiaries are people who have been forced to abandon their homes and livelihoods because of insecurity and are currently taking refuge in Kebbe town,” he said.
Kuchi said the intervention was intended to cushion the hardship faced by displaced households, adding that the council would continue to support residents affected by insecurity.
“The council remains committed to standing with our people in these difficult times. This support may be little, but it is our way of showing that you are not forgotten,” he said.
The chairman commended Sokoto State Governor Ahmed Aliyu for what he described as sustained efforts to strengthen security and protect communities affected by banditry.
He said investments in security, including the provision of combat vehicles and other equipment to security agencies, had boosted the operational capacity of personnel deployed to affected areas.
“Government’s investment in security is already yielding positive results. Our troops are taking the fight to the bandits in their hideouts, and this has given some of our communities the confidence to begin returning to their homes,” Kuchi said.
He called for continued support for security agencies, stressing that tackling banditry required collaboration among government authorities, security agencies, traditional institutions and communities.
Kuchi pledged that the council would sustain humanitarian assistance to victims of insecurity until displaced residents could safely return to their communities and rebuild their livelihoods.
He also called for stronger collaboration among the federal, state and local governments to address the causes and consequences of banditry.
The chairman urged religious leaders and residents to intensify prayers and support peace-building efforts, saying lasting security was essential for the restoration of economic activities and development in Kebbe and the wider state.
In his remarks, the District Head of Kebbe, Hon. Lawal Labbo Margai, commended the council and state government for responding to the plight of residents displaced by insecurity.
“We appreciate the concern demonstrated by the local government and the state government towards our people who have been compelled by insecurity to abandon their communities,” Margai said.
The traditional ruler, a former Speaker of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, urged those handling the distribution to ensure that the relief materials and financial assistance reached genuine beneficiaries.
“Let the relief materials and financial assistance reach the genuine beneficiaries. There must be fairness, justice and transparency in the distribution so that no vulnerable household is deprived of what has been provided for them,” he said.
Margai also prayed for the success of ongoing security operations and expressed hope that affected communities would regain sufficient security for displaced residents to return home.
The exercise was witnessed by the Secretary of Kebbe Local Government, Alhaji Shamsudeen Umar Mai’akwai, councillors, including Hon. S.A. Maitunbi, imams, traditional title holders and community leaders.
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