Zamfara state Governor Bello Mohammed (Matawallen Maradun) has said political bandits and yellow journalism were threatening to pull down his administration.
The governor stated this weekend during his visit to Anka and Bukkuyum local government areas to commiserate and assess damages done to victims of recent attacks by bandits in the areas.
He condemned the ‘misinformation’ in the media reportage that variously quoted scary figures of the number of deaths arising from the attacks.
Armed bandits reportedly killed at least 58 people in Zamfara state after raiding several villages Thursday.
Like other North-west states of Nigeria, Zamfara has consistently come under attack by bandits since 2020 during which victims were abducted in their numbers.
But the government has also been making frantic efforts to ward off the hoodlums.
As one of the moves, an Abuja-based Federal High Court declared the bandits, cattle rustlers and others as terrorists, a decision that was so gazetted last week.
Monarchs lament killings
But statistics available on Anka and Bukkuyum emirates indicated that 58 people were killed during the attacks by bandits in eight communities last Thursday.
Emir of Anka and chairman of the state’s council of chiefs and the Emir of Bukkuyum, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad and Alhaji Muhammad Usman respectively confirmed that 22 people were killed in seven communities in Anka while 36 were also killed in Kurfar Danya village in Bukkuyum emirate by the group of armed bandits during the incidents.
The monarchs spoke to journalists during the governor’s sympathy visits to their domains.
They described the attack by bandits as barbaric and disheartening, calling on their subjects to go back to Almighty Allah with constant supplications to end the trend.
They also equally called on the federal government to deploy more troops to the areas to mitigate the activities of bandits who terrorised the areas.
The emir of Anka told the visiting governor that out of the seven affected communities in his emirate, four were set ablaze by the bandits.
Matawallen speaks
Speaking during the visit, the governor said he was in the two local government areas to condole with the bereaved families and emirates over the incident and find out modalities on how to assist the victims to reduce their hardship.
He said his administration had directed the state ministry of humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development and Zamfara state emergency management agency to provide adequate assorted relief items to the victims.
Governor Matawallen commiserated with the two monarchs and their entire subjects over the unfortunate incident and promised to address the humanitarian crisis arising from the attacks.
The governor specifically called on the online and social media to always verify the facts instead of scaring the public for whatever reason.
“It is also obvious that my administration is not only threatened by bandits in the bush but also political bandits in our towns and villages,” he said.
Matawallen accused some politicians of manipulating the crisis for political gains and condemned the informants aiding the terrorists in their nefarious activities.
“We shall conquer all by the strength of the Almighty Allah,” Governor Matawallen assured.
He then announced that the government would henceforth treat those who report deliberate lies on bandits’ escapades as terrorists as well.
The governor further said: “We cannot fold our arms and allow people to always create panic and paint gorier picture of actual happenings in the state. We are faced with a big trial which we are doing our best to address.”
He assured his administration would partner the federal government in its efforts to end banditry in the state.
Matawallen commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his steadfastness in tackling insecurity in the country.
Orders reconstruction of villages
He also announced the plan by his administration to reconstruct the villages burnt by bandits in Anka local government area of the state.
The governor stated this Sunday in a state wide broadcast on the rising spate of insecurity in the state.
He said the affected communities would be relocated to their villages as soon as the reconstruction of the villages were completed.
Governor Matawallen also said the military would be stationed in the area to protect lives and property of the affected communities pending the return of normalcy.
“I have ordered for the total reconstruction of the four villages burnt by the bandits in Anka local government during an attack last Thursday and as soon as the work is completed, the affected communities will be back to their ancestral home and the security forces will be stationed in the area,” Matawallen said.
He assured the carnage would soon be tackled by security operatives, urging the good people of the state to remain calm, law abiding and also report any suspicious movement by any person or group of people to security agencies for urgent response.
Yari commiserates
In a similar message, the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar-led faction of All Progressives Congress (APC) also commiserated with the families of the victims of the massacre.
Publicity secretary of the APC faction in the state, Ibrahim Muhammad said this in a statement made available to Blueprint in Gusau Sunday.
He equally said the chairman of the faction, Hon. Lawal M. Liman Gabdon Kaura expressed “the deepest condolences of its leader, his lieutenants, major stakeholders and members of the party in the polling Unit, Ward, Local Government and State levels to the affected families, communities and survivors of the unfortunate attack.”
He described as regrettable the massacre of innocent citizens at this point in time when people in other parts of the globe were busy developing themselves into more socio-economic empowered entities.
…Northern CAN slams FG
In yet another reaction, the northern chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) slammed President Buhari over the Zamfara killing.
Buhari had while condemning the massacre on Saturday at a national prayer session organised by the Kano state Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, said the government was unrelenting in its efforts at tackling the challenges.
He admitted Nigeria needed a divine intervention to end the Boko Haram insurgency, banditry and other social vices plaguing the country.
“There is a need to seek divine intervention for the Almighty to bring an end to the challenges,” the President said.
But in a statement issued Sunday by CAN Vice-President for the northern region, Rev. Joseph Hayab, the body said Buhari had failed to live by his promises and wondered if such promises were only made to please Nigerians with no hopes of keeping them.
The group said: “Between January and December 2021, about 9,196 people were killed, 3, 857 Nigerians were kidnapped. Of these, about 70 per cent of the victims are from the North including the President’s home state of Katsina where the governor has asked citizens to buy arms to protect themselves. This is an admission of failure.
“It is sad that this is what Nigerians now face daily. We commiserate with the victims. The Buhari government lacks the capacity to do anything. There are terror apologists in the APC and the government knows them. In 2015, they imported foreign terrorists into the country for the purpose of gaining power.”
“Governance has fallen in many states today in northern Nigeria and the Federal Government needs to do something urgently before the worst will happen,” the statement further said.
CAN also joined prominent Nigerians who had called for a state of emergency in the North so as to curb the menace of insecurity in the region.
“The call for a state of emergency in the North-East cannot be over emphasized. But sadly, the body language of Mr. President and those surrounding him does(sic) not show they care and expecting them to declare a state of emergency is a wasted appeal because nothing about them shows they care,” the statement said.