Musa Na Allah Sokoto
Security operatives have on Saturday evening raided a notorious Rymond village which serve as criminals’ hideouts in Dambuwa, Dange Shuni Local Government of Sokoto state, arresting hundreds of suspected criminals.
The suspects were drove to the police headquarters and kept at the Criminal Investigation Department of the command.
Rymond village established by a retired former Army personal had been a source of serious concern to residents of the state because of the nefarious activities taking place in and around the village.
The village served as a hideout for all sort of criminals, including cultists, armed robbers, drugs peddlers and prostitutes etc.
The joint operation which involved Army, National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, Department of State Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps was led by the Sokoto State Police Command.
The operation which took place around 5pm lasted for two hours.
Stallion Times reporter who was at the scene headquarter observed females among the arrested suspects.
Confirming the operation to journalists, the spokesman of the Command, ASP Sanusi Abubakar said 144 suspects were arrested during the successful operation and lots of illicit drugs were also recovered during the raid.
“We will investigate them all and those that are found wanting would be prosecuted,” he said.
How Malam Muhammad, a resident of Kossai which is just few miters away from Rymond, traced the thief that broked into his house to Rymond village.
“The unwanted guest came in the middle of the night. He broke into my room, stole our phones and ran away.
“When I realized what happened, I woke all my children up and we started tracing his footsteps which ended in a house at Rymond Village. And we succeeded in apprehending the suspect and recovering all our phones after which we handed him over to the police.
“The place is giving the people living around a sleepless night.
The village harbors all sort of criminals most of whom were not from Sokoto state,” he said
Our reporter who sneaked into the village around 7pm, observed people from different sex and ethnicity having different kind of fun, some of them smoking Indian hemp, some taking drugs with prostitutes soliciting for customers.
Also observed were children from the neighborhood, watching what is going on with keen interest, raising the fair of one of the residents that, there children would soon join the band wagon if care is not taken.
The resident who sought for anonymity, said they had written a lot of complaints to security agencies, state Government and traditional rulers but there were no serious measures taken to address the problem.
“They will only send police to patrol the area for some days that is all.
“We want the Government to take over the place even if that will mean relocating innocent residents of the area to another place,” he said.
The village head of Dambuwa, Alhaji Abubakar Dambuwa recalled the several efforts they had made in the past to make those doing illegal businesses in the area change for the better.
“What is going on there is abominable and irreligious. No religion whether Islam or Christianity condone it.
“A lot of immoral things are going on there. They do all sort of things and this is affecting the moral upbringing of our children, especially girls.
“No matter what information you heard about the place you will not understand its gravity until you visit the area.
On the effort he made to bring sanity in the area, he said “i had been making effort to make them change before i was down with old age and sickness.
“I used to invite the people doing all these things to my palace and counseled them on the need to change their businesses with a lawful one but they are not heeding to my advice,” he said.
On whether, he had reported the matter to the state government, Sultanate counsel or security agencies, he said he did not make any formal report but there was a time a committee was set up by the state government comprising all the traditional leaders around that area, the Divisional Police Officer of Dange-Shuni, the chairman of the local government and the Director DSS among others over the matter which was short lived.
He appealed to the state government to take a decisive measure against the village for the sake of moral upbringing of its citizens.
“We want the place cleared. The government can convert it to something more beneficial to our people like Jumu’at Mosque or a health center which is no available in the area,” he said
Another resident of the area, suggested that the place could be converted to a hospital, which they have been lacking in the area.
It was said that, some of the houses in the village were own by either retired or serving army personnel because of the Village’s proximity to the Giginya Barrack.
It was also learnt that, most of the people in this community were not indigenes of the state with the exception of few.
“Majority of them are from the other parts of the country, particularly south east. They are the ones bringing and selling illicit substances in the village.
“This people can spend any amount to hire a shop in the Mamy market and use it as a hideout of their goods.
What they bring to Rymond village is just a small portion which they always have their up takers waiting to buy and go.
“The irony is that, the place is being patronized by high profiled people and some security operatives. That is why it is very difficult to be dispersed,” a resident of Sokoto who is privy to the activities in the village alleged
A serving officer who pleaded not to be named told journalists that, the village was founded by a retired soldier called Rymond who had died some years ago.
“I don’t use to go there. But there was a time i visited the place to see for myself what i have been hearing about it. And my findings were astonishing. You will see all sort of people there.
“But the place is not under our care. It’s not part of our barrack. Only the police and other sister agencies can operate there. We can only support them on request,” he said
The former Commander of Sokoto Hisbah Commission, Dr. Adamu Bello Kasarawa said the village was used for selling and buying illicit substances, including imported indian hemp as well as serves as a hideout of hard criminals.
He added that, it was used for keeping minors as even yesterday a Girl who had been missing for days was found kept inside one house in the village.
“That is where we used to go to look for missing Girls during my time,” he said
On why it was difficult for Hisbah to raid the place, he said it was because among those patronizing the place were security operatives.
Another reason, he said there was a fear of attack because some of the people there could do anything to evade arrest.
