From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Relief is now in sight for the residents of Barga, Awon Ward, Kachia Local Government, Kaduna State, as Governor Uba Sani of the state has approved the establishment of a Military Forward Operations Base (FOB).
The area is one among the several places that have suffered great loses due to incessant banditry attacks, being located en route to Rijana forest which serves as one of the known largest bandits camps in the state.
Speaking during a tour of the project by the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Kachia, Barga community leader, Zanko Adamu, expressed optimism that the development would reduce provocative bandits attacks in the area.
To him, the incessant cases of kidnappings and cattle rustling in the area had forced many people to abandon their homes and farmlands to presumably save communities.
Another resident of the area, Mark Bawa, stated that the prompt response from the governor in granting the community’s request for the base has rekindled hope among the people.
The once-thriving farming community has been impoverished by frequent attacks, leading to reduction of agricultural output and food shortages, Bawa added.
“Our community was very peaceful and productive until these criminal elements started wrecking havoc on us. It is my prayer that we have come to the end of this nightmare we have been experiencing”, he opined.
A female resident, Hannatu Dikko, highlighted the socio-economic impact of insecurity in the area, saying that many businesses had shut down, while schools remain closed, leaving children without access to education.
Earlier, Chairman, Kachia LGA, Manzo Maigari, noted that citing the base in Barga was in line with the rural infrastructural drive of the present state government.
“Once completed, the FOB is expected to serve as a strategic point for swift military response and surveillance”, the ex-agric commissioner said.
He, however, urged the community members to provide local intelligence to security agencies, noting that security was a collective responsibility.