Insecurity: Sokoto youths threaten to take up arms in self-defence

Sokoto

Growing frustration over repeated bandit attacks and a surge in kidnappings has pushed youths in Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State to consider taking up arms in self-defence.

In a statement signed on Thursday by youth activist Bello Bala Shagari, an online meeting of Shagari youths expressed deep concern over what they described as the government’s failure to protect lives and property in their communities.

They lamented that bandit attacks, which have persisted for months, have displaced families, crippled farming activities, and left many residents living in fear.

Mr. Shagari, a grandson of former Nigerian President Shehu Shagari, said the youths had reached “a last-resort decision” to defend themselves and their communities in the face of relentless attacks and humiliation.

According to him, the rising wave of insecurity has forced young people to question the government’s capacity to fulfil its constitutional duty of safeguarding citizens.

“The government has done little to protect us. We cannot sit idle while our people suffer. Self-defence may be our only remaining option.

“Although the youths preferred peace, we could no longer watch while lives were being lost, and property destroyed on a daily basis.”

The group called on both the Sokoto State Government and the Federal Government to urgently deploy adequate security personnel to Shagari and surrounding local government areas. They stressed that proactive action, rather than promises, was needed to restore confidence and prevent a descent into lawlessness. Security analysts have repeatedly warned that local communities resorting to armed self-defence could escalate violence and make peace harder to achieve. However, with attacks spreading across parts of Sokoto and other states in the North-West, calls for community-based security measures are gaining momentum.