A member of the House of Representatives, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, has called on the relevant authorities to stop the movements of hunters from the Northern parts of the country to the South on hunting expedition.
Rurum, who represents Rano, Bunkure and Kibiya Federal Constituency of Kano State, described the practice as archaic and should be banned immediately.
Citing security concerns, Rurum made the call on Thursday when he paid a condolence visit to the Torankawa community, in Bunkure local government area of Kano state where some of the 16 victims of the recent attack in Uromi, Edo State hailed from.
The youth in Uromi community had mistaken the 16 hunters who were traveling to Kano, for kidnappers and had subsequently set them ablaze in the most barbaric way.
The movement of weapon bearing hunters from the North to the South has continued to raise security concerns among stakeholders, including security agencies and host communities.
Addressing families and friends of the slain hunters, Rurum emphasised that the prevailing insecurity in the country required restraint and sensitivity in the movement of individuals, particularly those bearing weapons, even for traditional purposes such as hunting.
“The present-day Nigeria requires that people engage in professions and traditions that do not raise suspicion or cause unnecessary tension. Carrying weapons and moving from one end of the country to another in this sensitive period of insecurity sends the wrong signals and could lead to devastating consequences. Our hunters should henceforth put a stop to such movements,” Rurum said.
The Kano Rep members recalled a recent incident in Ondo State where over 30 hunters from his constituency were detained on suspicion of being criminals.
He said he had to personally intervene and present evidence to the Ondo State governor before they were released.
“If those who arrested our Rano hunters in Ondo had acted like those in Uromi, the story would have been different today,” he said.
The lawmaker announced a personal donation of N5 million to the bereaved families and pledged to construct an Islamiyya primary and secondary schools in the community to cater to the orphans left behind by the slain hunters.
“These children deserve a future. They must not be forgotten,” he said.
Uromi Killings: Kano Rep Kicks Against Movement Of Hunters From North To South is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
Source: The Whistler
