By Joshua uti
Kebbe Residents Demand Right to Bear Arms Amid Escalating Bandit Attacks
As deadly assaults by suspected Lakurawa bandits intensify, residents of Kebbe Local Government Area in Sokoto State have appealed to the Federal Government to allow them to carry advanced weapons for self-defence.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Secretariat in Sokoto, the aggrieved residents expressed frustration over the relentless killings, kidnappings, and destruction plaguing their communities.
Led by Alhaji Adamu Kebbe, the group accused both state and local authorities of neglecting their plight, describing the government’s response as slow, weak, and ineffective.
“We can no longer sleep peacefully. Our villages are being decimated, and the government is doing almost nothing to safeguard us,” lamented one of the residents, Haruna.
The group further urged the Federal Government to release funds directly to local governments, arguing that such support would help strengthen community security networks and improve rapid response to attacks.
Sokoto State remains one of the regions hardest hit by banditry, with emerging terror groups such as the Lakurawas and the notorious faction led by Bello Turji unleashing terror across Isa, Sabon Birni, and Kebbe local councils.
Although the state government has admitted the worsening insecurity, residents insist that its interventions are inadequate and fail to provide the protection they desperately need.
