𝐎pen letter of concern to all stakeholders over the escalating menace of weaponised phone stealing in Gombe State
By Muhammad Saleh Katam
Let me start by commending the relentless and selfless efforts of all security agencies and voluntary local security groups in maintaining law and order in the state, despite the challenges they face. However, it is with great concern that I draw your attention to the issue of thuggery and weaponised phone stealing that has become rampant in Gombe State causing untold hardship and instilling fear.
Many of us have undoubtedly noticed the alarming increase in phone stealing cases in Gombe metropolis over the previous month of June and especially during the 2 to 3 days of Sallah. We are now witnessing more audacious attacks that have resulted in injuries over victims. However, it has become evident that the authorities responsible for addressing this problem are trying their best in fulfilling their mandate and instilling a sense of security in their respective field of operations.
Looming fear hangs around the neck of the most vulnerable groups (Women, Young ladies and Students in Off campuses) especially those that use commercial motorcycles and tricycles (Keke-Napep) to move around the city or even take a short walk from one place to the other. The situation in the past month, has grown to the level that the snatchers operate in the daytime and invade houses in the night in almost all targeted communities. The engineers of this fear are mostly youth of teens and twentieth holding local but dangerous weapons, mostly knives and cutlasses.
Most of the criminals, who reportedly operate under the influence of drugs, leave their victims with injuries, a situation that has led to a couple of deaths as we can hear from other endemic states like Kano, Nigeria . This menace has not only led to a rise in crime and insecurity in the state, but it has also caused untold economic losses to the affected individuals, as most of them depend on their phones for their businesses.
The government has the responsibility to safeguard our lives, property, and conscience by taking decisive action against these hoodlums. While I acknowledge the efforts of all security officers, more needs to be done to tackle this menace as I also wish to suggest the improvement of; increased police presence in affected areas, stipends to voluntary security groups, security lights, self defence awareness campaigns, stiff penalties on phone stealers and lethal weapon producing blacksmiths.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. May God Almighty protect us and Gombe state with all form of protections from devil, evil and their act.
Yours honourably and comradely,
Muhammad Saleh Katam
