POLITICS TODAY

Godfathers of political thugs in Kaduna have been frightened by a new state government law that prescribes seven years imprisonment for any convicted member of the notorious “Sara-suka” terror gangs.

A source within the intelligence service, notably the DSS said the agency’s hit squad is “already closing in on the political godfathers of the Sara-suka groups that have been terrorising the people of the state since 2015.

Governor Nasir Ahmad Elrufai has also confirmed the new law, which took immediate effect, while fielding questions from Politics Today on Wednesday during the flag-off of Kaduna Residency Card project in Rigasa area of the metropolis. He noted that any convicted member of the terror gang now risks a seven year jail term, adding that the administration would leave no stone unturned in its efforts to protect the lives and property of residents.

Meanwhile, a youth group, the Uba Sani Solidarity Front(USF) has commended the state government for “two bold steps on the Sara-suka menace, namely the arrest of 50 leaders of the gangs and the new law of seven year jail term for the criminals”. Chairman of the group , Comrade Ibrahim Garba, while speaking to Politics Today revealed that the swoop on the first set of 50 gang leaders currently in police custody had doused the fear and tension so far created by the activities of the terror gangs, “especially in Sabon Kawo, Rafin Guza, Rigasa, Afaka, Unguwan Rimi and many other areas in Kaduna State”.

A cross-section of respondents  told Politics Today that the decision by security agents in the state to go after the politicians funding the terror gangs was a great move, as it amounts to tackling the problem from its root. One of the respondents, Malam Abubakar Haruna Rafin Guza said the terror gang leaders were being repeatedly bailed out of detention by politicians soon after the police swooped on them, urging Governor Elrufai to investigate the development, as “it rubbishes the prosecution efforts of the security agents.”