Nigeria: Terrorists Reportedly Ban Political Activities in Parts of Kaduna

The Ansaru terrorists group has reportedly banned political activities in some communities in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

The Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Kaduna on Sunday night.

The statement signed by Chairman of the BEPU, Ishaq Usman Kasai, said the terrorists group has banned political activities in many communities  in the Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari LGA.
Kasai said the terrorists have continued to gain strength in some of the communities following the recruitment of young people.

“Infact the group continue to gain acceptance from many members of the communities, particularly in old Kuyello and Damari communities in Kazage Ward”, the statement said.
The BEPU the terrorists were marrying girls from the communities

Kasai some of the locals who have joined the group no longer live within their communities for fear of being arrested by security agencies.
The statement said, “The Ansaru and the new recruits are of the belief that their numerical strength will help them to bring the present democratic government down.
“Presently the Ansaru are going round distributing memory cards to the locals which contains their beliefs and doctrine.

“A disturbing scenario is where the group banned all political activities in many communities such as Damari of Kazage Ward.

“Politicians from these communities have to go far away secretly to the neighbouring communities before they hold political meetings.
“For instance, this week an Okada rider who lives in Unguwar Makera of Kazage Ward was seen with a sticker of one of the candidates vying for the Kaduna State House of Assembly and he was thoroughly beaten by the Ansaru.”

The BEPU chairman said, “People in these communities are now disenchanted and frustrated about participating in political activities.
“We don’t know how the coming elections will take place in those areas because even the last Local Government election in Kaduna state did not hold in those communities due to the escalating insecurity…

“In short, the Ansaru are now in charge of many of the communities in the area and the group is expanding its occupation.

According to the statement, “the terrorists now call the shots and determine what is to be done in the villages they are dominating.”

The statement lamented the increasing number of locals joining the terrorists group, adding that those who joined used to come back to the communities recruited others and take them to the forests for indoctrination.
Kasai said, new recruits were told to fight government to install state.

The BEPU expressed disappointment that despite the worrisome development, the ere authorities were not doing much to contain the situation.
The statement called on the government to take the battle to the hideouts of the criminals in the forests and flush them out to stop the daily killings of people.

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