Bena Community in Danko-Wasagu LGA Calls for Urgent Help on Security, Water, Health, and Education

Danko-Wasagu, Kebbi State – The people of Bena Community in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area have sent a letter to the government. They are asking for help with four big problems: security, clean water, health care, and education. The letter says these issues are getting worse. Armed attacks and kidnappings make families leave their homes. There is no clean water for drinking or farming. No health center means sick people die from easy-to-treat illnesses. Schools have no teachers or books, so many children do not go to class. The community signed the letter as "People of Bena Community." They want security forces, water support, mobile doctors, and school supplies right away. They also ask government officials to visit and see the problems themselves. This letter shows how life is hard in rural Kebbi, where people need basic things to survive.

The letter starts with security. It says armed attacks and kidnappings have displaced many families. This stops farming and makes people hungry. Bena is a small village in Danko-Wasagu LGA, near the border with Zamfara and Niger states. Bandits often come here. In June 2025, bandits killed 30 people in nearby Zuru communities, including parts of Danko-Wasagu. The local government chairman, Hussaini Aliyu-Bena, said the area shares a border with Zamfara, where bandits hide. In October 2024, bandits took 16 people from Bena village and nearby areas. Just last month, in August 2025, police rescued two kidnapped people in Ribah district of Danko-Wasagu. But attacks keep happening. In May 2025, bandits killed 15 farmers in Waje village, Danko-Wasagu. The deputy governor visited and gave N24 million to families, but people say more security is needed. Bandits also attack churches, like in Zagami village in May 2025, taking Christians during service. A study from 2025 says Danko-Wasagu has lost hundreds of lives and thousands displaced over the past 10 years. Families in Bena now live in fear. They cannot farm or go to markets. This makes food prices high. The letter asks for security deployment to protect the area.

The second problem is water. The community has no clean water and no irrigation for farms. This causes big losses in crops. People walk long distances for dirty water from streams. In Danko-Wasagu, dry spells make things worse. A 2023 study looked at the 2021 dry spell in the LGA. It said no rain for days killed crops and made hunger bad. Farmers in Kebbi grow rice and maize, but without water, yields drop 30-50%. In nearby D'ka community in Wasagu LGA, people used shallow wells with animal waste. A project by WaterAid and Guinness in 2019 built a solar water pump there. It helped 2,500 people get clean water. But Bena has no such project. Floods in August 2025 damaged wells in the area. Dirty water spreads diseases like cholera. Kebbi had 200 cases in April 2025. Women and children spend hours fetching water. This stops them from working or studying. The letter calls for emergency water support, like new pumps and pipes for farms. The National Bureau of Statistics says only 40% of Kebbi homes have safe water. In rural spots like Bena, it's less than 30%.

Health is the third issue. There is no working health facility in Bena. No doctors or nurses are there. People die from sicknesses like malaria or diarrhea that medicine can fix. The letter wants mobile clinics to visit. Danko-Wasagu has some health centers, like Bena PHC and Danmakwarwa Health Post. But many are in bad shape. A Facebook post from September 2025 shows a hospital in Danko-Wasagu with broken walls and no beds. Another post says almost every hospital in Kebbi is poor. Insecurity stops workers from going. A 2023 report says banditry closes clinics in Danko-Wasagu. Kebbi has one doctor for every 5,000 people. That's too few. The state gave N2 billion for health in June 2025, but only 60% is used. A 2020 study found high child malnutrition in Danko-Wasagu because no nearby clinics. Cholera and malaria kill kids. Without mobile clinics, moms give birth at home and sick people wait too long.

Education is the fourth problem. Schools in Bena have no teachers, no classrooms, and no books. Many children stay home. The letter asks for help to build classes and give materials. Danko-Wasagu has schools like Masama Primary and Rade Primary. There is also Tanko Ribah College of Education in Ribah town. In September 2025, the governor built Dan-makarwa Primary School in the LGA. But many schools lack teachers because of danger. A 2024 study says banditry keeps kids out of school in Danko-Wasagu. About 40% of children drop out. They help parents farm or fetch water instead. The World Bank says Kebbi needs more school projects, but Danko-Wasagu gets little. Floods damage classrooms. Without education, kids stay poor.

These problems are linked. Security stops farming and school. Bad water causes sickness. No health care means deaths. No education means no jobs later. Kebbi has 72% poverty. The UN says 33 million in the northwest face hunger. Bandits steal cows and kidnap. Floods ruin fields. The government must help.

The state has done some things. In July 2023, troops freed 30 kidnapped in Danko-Wasagu. The governor sent N50 million for flood victims in Bunza, but not Bena. NEMA gives camp help, but it's small. The Community and Social Development Project built water and roads in some parts. In April 2025, the Senate gave solar tanks to 11 wards in Danko-Wasagu.

The people of Bena want action now. Send security to stop attacks. Build water pumps and farm pipes. Start mobile clinics. Give school books and teachers. A visit from officials can start the work.

This letter is important. If no help, more people will leave. Children will not learn. Sickness will grow. The government can fix it with money and plans. Use N1 billion from the budget for wells. Send troops like in other LGAs. Build classes through the education board. A visit shows the government cares.

In Danko-Wasagu, people wait. The letter gives them a voice. Kebbi can change. With help, Bena can have safe homes, clean water, doctors, and schools. Leaders must act today.