Youth organisations in Zuru Emirate of Kebbi State have condemned the alleged arrest and three-day detention of the interim Chairman of Zuru Emirate Development Society (ZEDS), retired Air Vice Marshal Sallau Bala Ribah and the leader of Yan Sakai (vigilante groups) John Mani at the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) office in Abuja for undisclosed reasons.
They said the two men, who are central to the search for peace in the bandit-infested Zuru Emirate, were invited to meet the Inspector General of Police soon after the September 19, 2020 town hall meeting in Zuru which explored ways out of the crisis caused by the activities of bandits as well as some excesses of the Yan Sakai vigilantes.
The youth groups’ chairman, Kamba Peter described the detentions as a setback to the gains recorded at the meeting.
He said it was in a bid to check security upheavals in Zuru Emirate caused by activities of bandits and the defensive measures of Yan Sakai that the Federal Government, through the Inspector General of Police and Kebbi State government, convened an elders’ meeting at Zuru to find ways and means of bringing peace to the land.
Prominent sons and daughters of the area led by Emir of Zuru, Major General Sani Sami II, attended the meeting.
The group said while they cannot stop government from carrying out its duties in securing lives and property,“government needs to work closely with those who have shown genuine interest and commitment in providing measures and steps to end this insecurity.”
When contacted on the arrest, Spokesperson of Kebbi State Police Command, DSP Nafiu Abubakar, said he was still making efforts to get information from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Zuru on the matter.
All effort to get the comments of the Security Adviser to Kebbi State governor, Rabiu Garba proved abortive as he did not pick call neither did he respond to text message sent to him.
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