The newly inaugurated 8th Adamawa State House of Assembly has read for the first time a bill for a law to toughen punishment for members of a criminal youth group called Shila Boys.
The Shila Boys are light weapon-bearing youths who specialise in snatching handphones, cash, and other valuables from residents, often in broad daylight, and almost always using Keke NAPEP to carry passengers that become their victims.
The Shila Boys had grown into a hydra-headed monster by the time Governor Ahmadu Fintiri assumed office in 2019 and moved decisively against them, but they had recently regained their potency and are terrorising the state capital, Yola
The new bill read by the state assembly at its sitting on Wednesday seeks to amend Adamawa State Penal Code Law Number 10 of 2018 to provide for stiffer punishment against the Shila Boys, which the Assembly regarded as an insurgence group.
The sponsor of the bill, the member representing the Yola North constituency, Suleiman Umar Alkali, explained that if passed as designed, it will curtail the Shila Boys activities, which are most prevalent in the metropolis of Yola North, Yola South, and Girei local government areas.
After considering the importance of the bill, the Speaker of the Assembly, Bathiya Wesley, directed the clerk of the house to schedule it for second reading in the near future.
