The 2023 senatorial candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi West, Hon. Teejay Yusuf, has called on the state government and all security agencies to urgently take more proactive measures to address the increasing state of insecurity across Okun Land; particularly Bunu Land in the past months.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Monday, the three term House of Representatives member sympathized with the families, friends, colleagues, and associates of those that have been victims of these dastardly attacks.
Hon Teejay Yusuf, who represented Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu federal constituency in the national assmebly, appealed for calm, law, and order as government and relevant agencies do all that is necessary in tackling the menace.
He bemoaned the perennial attacks on the peace loving Bunu people, adding that the development has brought about hunger, poverty, and untoward hardships across the communities and towns.
“According to reports, indigenes and residents of communities across Okun Land have been victims of attacks by groups of charlatans whose identities are not known. More so, it is very sad that people in Bunu Land have been subjected to perennial harassment, intimidation, and kidnapping by some hideous criminals. From reports, these callously wicked, and criminally-infected persons attack, and kidnap innocent people of these communities with brazenness. Aside subjecting their victims to unexplainable, and pitiable shocks and pain, they; and their families, friends, and respective communities are harrowed and forced to pay huge sums of ransom; that are not readily available as the majority are peasant farmers.
“Many people believe that the unrestrained cases of kidnapping and similar attacks on the communities are not unconnected to the chequered manner in which Kogi state government allegedly opened its borders to shadowy people of questionable characters; in the name of politics between 2020 and 2022. Also, some other people alluded to the fact that, given their styles of operations and idiosyncrasies, the influx of these people to different locations in Okun Land, may have contributed in no small measures to the worrying, and disturbing situation at hand.
“As a result of the frequency of these nefarious and callous attacks, the peace loving people of these communities are experiencing psychological torture, and emotional pain as they now live in perpetual fear, worries, and anxiety; not knowing who the next victim will be. Also, the people, who are basically farmers have practically abandoned their farmlands, out of fear of being kidnapped. This development, has brought about hunger, poverty, and untoward hardships across the communities and towns,” he said.
Noting the preponderance of kidnapping and attacks on his people, Hon. Teejay Yusuf humbly called on the state government to immediately emplace result-yielding measures to effectively tackle the disturbing trend.
“Also, I implore various law enforcement and security agencies, with necessary support from the state government to collaborate with one another towards ensuring the protection of lives and properties in these communities,” he added.
