By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin, has donated N16 million to the families of 16 hunters who were killed by an illegal vigilante group at Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area, Edo State.
He visited the Bunkure Local Government Area of Kano State to sympathise with the families of the 16 slain travellers.
Senator Barau met the families of the victims, who hailed from Bunkure, Kibiya, Rano and Garko Local Government Areas, at the At-Taqwa Mosque in the Sabon Fegi area of the Bunkure Local Government Area.
Senator Barau was joined by the Minister of State of Housing and Urban Development, Hon Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, the Managing Director of the North West Development Commission (NWDC), Professor Abdullahi Shehu Ma’aji, and other dignitaries.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Ismail Mudashir, said Senator Barau reassured the families of the deceased hunters that the perpetrators would be brought to book.
In addition to the 14 suspects, he said security agents had nabbed two more persons in connection with the killing of the hunters.
He announced the donation of N1 m to each of the families of the 16 deceased hunters, totalling N16m.
The Deputy President of the Senate said he would sponsor a motion on the matter when the Senate resumes later this month.
“I’m here to sympathise with you over the tragic incident that led to the death of 16 of our brothers last Thursday. May Allah grant them Jannatul Firdaus and quicken the recovery of those injured.
“I was worried when the incident happened. I had to call the state governor, security agencies and all stakeholders involved. They swung into action, and so far apart from the 14 people who have been arrested, two more suspects have been nabbed. The state governor, who visited my house in Abuja, has assured me that the state government will support you.
” We will not take it lightly. We will ensure that the culprits are brought to book and face the wrath of the law,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the families, the Chief Imam of the area, Sheikh Zainul Abidina Auwal, thanked Senator Barau for his efforts in ensuring justice and described him as the leader needed for the country’s development.
Meanwhile, Senator Barau has mourned an elder statesman, Galadiman Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sunusi Bayero, who died on Tuesday night.
The late prince, who is the father of the Kano State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Abdullahi Abbas, died at the age of 92 in Kano.
He held Galadiman Kano’s most senior title and had been a member of the Kano Emirate Council for several decades.
Senator Barau, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Ismail Mudashir, described the deceased as an elder statesman par excellence whose contribution to the growth and development of Kano emirate and Kano State cannot be overemphasised.
He enjoined the family of the late prince to find solace in the fact that the deceased was a devout Muslim who spent his life and resources worshipping Allah SWT and assisting humanity.
” The demise of our father, Galadima Kano, is a great loss that creates a huge vacuum that cannot be easily filled. He played a pivotal role in the development and growth of the Kano emirate, Kano State and the entire north. We have lost a father, a mentor and a role model,” he said.
He prayed to Allah SWT to forgive his shortcomings, grant him Jannatul Firdaus, and give his family, associates, and the entire Kano emirate the fortitude to bear the loss.
” Our thoughts and prayers are with the immediate family of our late father, especially the chairman of our party, APC in Kano, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, Kano emirate, Kano State and all the members of the family. May Allah SWT grant him Jannatul Firdaus and give all those he left behind the strength to bear this loss,” he said.
The Deputy President of the Senate, upon his arrival in Kano, proceeded to the funeral ground at the Gandu cemetery in the Kano State metropolis.