The Nigerian Army’s 1st Brigade in Gusau, Zamfara State on Saturday celebrated the 161st anniversary of the army with children who lost their parents in the fight against terrorism in Zamfara State.
Brigade spokesman Suleiman Omale said the event was dedicated to the memory of the fallen heroes.
Lt. Mr. Omale said the brigade distributed medical consumables, writing materials, clothes and shoes to orphans, less privileged people and other needy people in the state.
He said brigade commander Sani Ahmed, a brigadier general, led the distribution of the materials to underline the army’s commitment to civil-military cooperation.
“This initiative is part of the Army’s ongoing efforts to support the civilian community in a variety of ways, promoting goodwill and strengthening relationships.
“The distribution reached approximately 400 orphans and needy people, along with the provision of exercise books, pencils and pens to students and pupils in eleven primary and secondary schools in the Gusau metropolitan area,” said Mr. Omale.
He said the military has also supported rural areas, but this particular event focused on Gusau, the state capital.
Article page with promotion of financial support
“The brigade commander used the occasion to urge the civilian community to discourage informants from assisting the bandits by reporting on military activities. Instead, he encouraged these elements to repent and surrender their arms to restore peace in the state.
“Brigadier General Ahmed expressed concern over the activities of bandits in the state, saying troops are working tirelessly to ensure that farmers can cultivate and harvest their crops without any hitches, thereby ensuring food security and economic development,” Omale said in a statement.
He called for the support and cooperation of the population by providing useful information to the army in the fight against terrorism in the state.
Earlier, the brigade distributed medical supplies to the 14 local government areas within its area of responsibility. It also distributed customized exercise books to primary and secondary school students in 11 schools in Gusau, Mr. Omale said.
Zamfara, like many states in the troubled North West region, has suffered a decade-long violent armed conflict that has killed thousands of people.
A report commissioned by the state government says that between 2011 and 2019, terrorists in Zamfara collected over N3 billion as ransom from the 3,672 people they kidnapped.
Army marks anniversary with children orphaned by terrorists in Zamfara
According to the report of a committee set up by the government in 2019 to review the state of insecurity in the state, the activities of terrorist gangs, popularly called bandits, also led to the displacement of 190,340 people during the period.
The committee, headed by a retired police chief, Muhammad Abubakar, also revealed that 4,983 women were widowed and 25,050 children orphaned during the period.