The North-West Good Governance and Security Forum (NW-GSF) has warned the lawmaker representing Sokoto East, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, to quit invading Nigeria with foreign mercenaries.
The group’s reprimand trails Gobir’s claims that he and his people now turn to Nigerien troops for protection against bandits.
“ Whenever there is an attack, immediately we inform the commandant of the Nigerien Army at a formation few kilometres away, the officer will come with his troops and help Nigerians,” the Senator said.
In reaction through its President, Hon. Imam Galadanchi, on Tuesday, the NW-GSF said Gobir may have subconsciously admitted being one of the politicians fuelling the insecurity situation in his state.
Rather than leverage on his position in the National Assembly to sway the much-needed military presence to his state, the group added that he opted to collude with others to illegally bring foreign forces.
According to the North-West group, there is every likelihood that these troops are “mercenaries – soldiers of fortune, who fight on whatever side the funding is coming from, in this case from Sokoto state politicians like the Senator”.
And when the funds become dry, the North-West Good Governance and Security Forum reasoned that these mercenaries may switch sides and become a problem for the country.
The group, in clear terms, denounced insinuations from Senator Gobir that Sokoto has been abandoned, describing it is an “untrue”.
It, however, advised the lawmaker to submit the list of the mercenaries he has been sponsoring to the relevant security agencies so they can work with the Republic of Niger to trace, track, contact and rehabilitate them.