The immediate past House of Representative member for Kaltungo/Shongom Federal Constituency, Gombe State, Hajiya Fatima Binta Bello, has berated the Federal Government for promising but failing to address the rampant banditry and kidnappings that has continued unabated in the land.
Fatima Binta Bello, who was Deputy Minority Whip (PDP) in the House of Reps, told newsmen shortly after she donated 204 chairs and computer tables each to the Kaltungo Model CBT Centre (JAMB Centre), that the kidnappings are becoming unbearable to the ordinary people and even the government in power.
Just within the last five days, no fewer than 15 persons have been kidnapped in Kaltungo, setting the peaceful town into mourning as confirmed by the Paramount Ruler of Kaltungo, Engineer Saleh Mohammed, when Binta Bello went to condole him.
The former Rep member, while expressing her pains said the kidnappers even pick people who cannot pay the ransom that is being demanded.
She said, “the situation is becoming unbearable for the people and even the Government of the day. I call on Government to make security their number one priority for everybody because that is the reason for being in Government.
“They promised to protect the lives and property of the people, but as the Mai Kaltungo confirmed, kidnappers have picked more than 15 people, many are less privileged who can barely have N1,000 of their own and they are demanding N50, 60, 100 million ransom.
“This is madness, if Government was working right, things wouldn’t have been this way. People are living in hunger, hike in prices of petrol and other commodities, I don’t know where we are heading to in Nigeria, I have pains but that is not why I’m here for now”, she complained bitterly.
She also called on communities to mobilize themselves into Community Vigilante in collaboration with security agents to secure themselves.
Speaking on the donation to the JAMB Centre, she said, her Foundation, Fatima Binta Bello Trust Foundation for Education and Child Upliftment was requested to intervene and within no time, the Foundation assisted, more so, seeing that the JAMB exams is just by the corner.
She added that it will go a long way in addressing the challenges of the entire Southern Gombe Senatorial zone which has no JAMB Centre.
” I value education and want every Nigerian child to be educated to the maximum level. I have passion of encouraging women to go to school.
“Education is the bedrock of a better society, I always encourage society and community leaders to send their women to school to learn. Even if they will not be in Government, let them have formal education,” she stressed.
