Despite Governor Bello Matawalle’s continuous dialogue with the bandits and reports of constantly giving them millions of naira allegedly to pacify them to stop their criminal acts, twenty-one residents were shot dead by bandits who stormed six remote villages in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Zamfara earlier this week, the police said on Friday.
DESERT HERALD learnt that through the governor’s policy of engaging the bandits and technically empowering them with funds, attacks in Zamfara have drastically reduced in the trouble state though the Governor has so far failed to stop the killings of his people despite the huge budget the state keep incurring on security.
To date, no one not even cabinet members in Zamfara knows exactly what the governor spent on his questionable peace initiatives with the bandits and killings have now resumed despite previous commitments.
Some are accusing Governor Matawalle of empowering criminals that are truly not committed to stop their acts of terror while others are accusing his government of encouraging many others to make millions out of the security imbroglio in the state.
Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina state because of the same reason has since promised never to dialogue with the bandits again as previous commitments and even offer of money did not stop the killings of his people.
Already DESERT HERALD gathered that there are agitations especially by the opposition APC in Zamfara accusing the Matawalle administration of using the security issue as a conduit-pipe and are challenging him to disclose how much he has so far spent on security and whether his spendings are commensurate with the current killings and gradual deterioration of security in the state.
The gunmen, believed to be bandits, also attempted to steal cattle from the villagers in Talata Mafara and Maru local government areas of the state on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mohammed Shehu, a spokesman for the police, told Xinhua.
The gunmen first shot dead 15 people on Tuesday, when they attacked the villages in those parts of the state. They returned on Wednesday, riding on hundreds of motorcycles, and killed six more people during the burial of the previous victims, Shehu said.
Local sources said the gunmen were resisted by some youths while mourning their loved ones.
The police said they have launched an investigation into the deadly attacks.
Banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities have recently become rampant in the northwest region. The military high command said they are in control of the situation with ongoing multiple operations against the gunmen.
A week ago, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the military to intensify their operations in that part of the country, particularly to root out the gunmen.
DESERT HERALD has arranged a special news platform where important news as it affects Zamfara security and how security issues are being administered will be disseminated as her own contribution to the lingering security crisis in the state.
Source: Desert Herald