Northern group scores Tinubu’s govt. high on fight against banditry, terrorism

Magdalene Ukuedojor
Mar, Sun, 2025

Politics

Northern group scores Tinubu’s govt. high on fight against banditry, terrorism

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By Francis Onyeukwu

A northern-based socio-cultural group, Gamji Heritage, has scored the President Bola Tinubu-led administration high in its fight against banditry, terrorism and other forms of insecurity in the country.

President-General of the group, Ahmed Abdullahi, made the statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports Gamji Heritage is a pressure group dedicated to preserving the legacies of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

It has its membership cutting across religious lines from all the 19 states of the north.

Abdullahi, an architect, commended the Federal Government for its diligent pursuit of war against banditry, terrorism and other forms of insecurity across the country.

He, however, said that the fight should not be left in the hands of the government alone, adding that all hands must be on deck to tackle the menace.

The president-general particularly said that the North had no other option than to tackle the problems of insecurity, which had posed a serious challenge to the zone, headlong.

“I had said before now that we need to commend the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, for the fight against terrorism, banditry and general insecurity.

“Still, there are a lot to be done. There was an exposé in America where President Donald Trump revealed the interference and sponsorship of terrorism by certain agencies of America, especially USAID.

“This is not something we are taking lightly at Gamji Heritage. We are studying the situation and we are going to take it up both locally and internationally.

“Our major concern in this matter is to ensure that nothing is done to undermine nations, especially the number one pride of the Black race, which is Nigeria.

“Nigeria needs to make progress; Nigeria needs to be at peace and it needs to develop and advance, in the interest of Africa and the Black race,’’ he said.

Abdullahi said that northerners were now more mindful and more security conscious and were now helping security agencies more than before.

“Take the issue of Katsina State for example; the state government has now established a vigilance outfit which is assisting the security agencies.

“And I want to recommend this for other states because it is working and has succeeded in bringing down the rate of insecurity in the state.

“There is serious cooperation and inter-relationship amongst members of the public, the vigilance group members, government of the state and security agencies,’’ he said.

Corroborating the concerns expressed by President Trump, Abdullahi said that some international NGOs were actually aiding and abetting banditry and terrorism in the north.

“When the state started registering the NGOs in order to closely look into their activities like in Katsina, insurgency activities went down significantly.

“All hands must be on deck to tackle insecurity, banditry and terrorism in the north. It is not over until it is finally over,’’ he said.

On the allegation that some traditional and community leaders were aiding and abetting banditry and terrorism in some parts of the country, he described the development as abominable and unacceptable.

“Though in every 12 disciples, there is bound to be a Judas, the law should be made to checkmate the excesses of such people.

“If some bad eggs chose to betray the course of history, the law should be there to take its course, regardless of their positions or status,’’ he said.

Abdullahi, who spoke about the activities of Gamji Heritage, explained that the group, formed 40 years ago, had been a rallying point for all northerners, regardless of their religious, political or cultural affiliations.

“For quite sometime, Gamji Heritage had been inactive, but we reactivated it for the singular reason of its importance to northern Nigeria.

“Gamji is the sole rallying point for the northerners, irrespective of their religious and cultural differences,” he said.

The president-general said that the conference, held by the group in January in Kaduna, afforded them the opportunity of coming together to commemorate the killing of the Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of Northern Nigeria, , Sir Ahmadu Bello.

Abdullahi, who noted with regret the problem caused by the killings during the 1966 coup and its effects on the development of Nigeria, cautioned against a repeat of such situation in the country.

“That 1966 killings marked the beginning of Nigeria’s problems; either way you look at it, since that incident, Nigeria has been grappling with the problem up till today, and we say that such shouldn’t happen again,’’ he said.

According to him, Gamji Heritage is building on the heritage of the late Sardauna of Sokoto.

“They (Sardauna and others) established the first set of infrastructure in northern Nigeria and some of these infrastructures turned out to become the foundations of many institutions presently being enjoyed by Nigerians.

“Some of these infrastructures have been taken over by the Federal Government and are national brand today.

“We also looked at certain institutions that have become moribund and how to reactivate them.

“We also looked at the development of human capital resources, security and the current war against insecurity, and that is where the convention scored the present federal government very high,’’ he said.

Abdullahi said that Gamji was pivotal to articulating the country’s political dynamics viz-a-vis the position of the northern Nigeria in the politics of the country.

He also said that the group had been working together with Arewa Consultative Forum and Northern Elders’ Forum for the general interest of the north.

“Gamji Heritage consults them in everything we do; we seek their guidance and counselling because they are our elders and leaders, and that is why we are going places. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq

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