Alh Abubakar Abdullahi (Doctor) is a Commissioner for Rural Development and Cooperative in Zamfara and also one of the strong political ally of Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa. He hails from Chafe, one of the local governments recently facing serial attacks from suspected armed bandits. Just few days ago, five communities in his local government were invaded and about 15 people were killed while hundreds were forced out of their homes and are currently taking refuge at neigbouring villages. In this interview with Anas Sani Anka from Thunder Blowers news medium, he shares some perspectives on how to end the deadly bandit attacks in Zamfara and its neighboring states
What are your views on the Resurgence of Armed Banditry in Zamfara?
For me what is happening in Zamfara state especially in my own area where I am representing is actually a source of concern. Our experience in Chafe over the recent times is the resurgence of some cases of armed banditry attacks even after the relative peace enjoyed by the people of the state after the second peace deal was instituted.
To the best of my knowledge, the state government has done its own part by providing all the needed support to the security agencies for them to carry out their operations but from the look of things the system is not working.
What actually happened at Chafe in recent days?
I am sure you have heard about series of attacks along Bilbis town. Many communities along that area have been invaded by these armed bandits and scores of people are being killed and this situation is making people scary again.
Recently there was a mass attack at Anguwar Rogo and other neighboring villages around Chafe and it was believed to be a reprisal attack because some members of vigilante were alleged to have intercepted and killed some members of Fulani groups and that incident brought a very serious setback to the security management of the whole area.
As a Commissioner from that area, almost every, day we receive complaints of attack or attempt to attack in one place or the other and as leaders we are not happy with this development. I think I have to make this point very clear that, Federal government needs to sit up and review lts strategies to defeat these bandits before they crush us as a state.
Where do you think the problem lies?
I think significant portion of the blame goes to the federal government because as a state the Governor and everybody including traditional rulers are doing their best but the strategies in which the military and police are fighting this criminality have failed and the federal government need to come back to the drawing board.
Of course we cannot dispute the fact that, there is a big problem with our people because among them there are those who decided to connive with these bandits and continue to inflict hardship on us by serving as informants to these bandits and this issue of informants is adding much burden in the effort to end this tragedy.
Recently the Mr. President issued a marching order for dust-to-down operation in Katsina State and I think this same order needs to be extended to Zamfara, Kaduna and Sokoto States. Zamfara people are dying because of banditry and the federal government needs to hear us for the purpose of ending this tragedy. I know the state government is very much ready to support any decision that will help bring an end to the insecurity in the state. But it is long overdue something needs to be done.
Why do you think the strategies have failed?
The strategies have failed because if you take a typical example of the fight against Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government ordered for the total shut down of the country. And from the beginning of this pandemic to date, not up to 250 people have died of this virus but imagine what federal and state governments have expended to manage this pandemic situation.
If federal government can order for the total closure of business activities in Nigeria for close to thirty days because it wants to fight a pandemic that killed less than 250 people what about banditry that killed over 3000 people in Zamfara state alone?
Government need to be logical because the negative effect of covid-19 pandemic is not as bad as that of banditry activities especially among the people of the North. So, more pro-active measures need to be instituted to manage this conflict in states like Zamfara.
But the state government has entered into another peace deal with these bandits, are you saying the peace deal has also failed?
For me it has not failed entirely because after it was institutionalized at least some relative peace have been enjoyed by Zamfara people and many bandits have repented but it seems we heading toward the olden days again because some of these bandits are back again in some communities of Zamfara, from the time the peace deal was formalized to date, there had been numerous reported cases of banditry attacks from one community to another.
The state government has done its own part by providing all what was requested to end this menace but very unimaginable, people of Zamfara are still battling to contain the excesses of these bandits.
For me if the peace deal cannot work as plan, as an option, federal government should be more pro-active with conventional operation to end this tragedy.
If the first and second attempt to reconcile with this people has failed, let us have more viable military action that will prove to them that government is actually a government.
What makes Zamfara security situation unique?
I will specifically blame the porous nature of our borders. If you take for example, in Chafe alone, the
re are between 6-7 exit routes these bandits use to escape military action whenever they invade communities in Zamfara. Again, these bandits understand the terrain more than the military and police and the terrain is not motorable. So the combination of these factors contributed to the complex nature of operation along Zamfara forests.
re are between 6-7 exit routes these bandits use to escape military action whenever they invade communities in Zamfara. Again, these bandits understand the terrain more than the military and police and the terrain is not motorable. So the combination of these factors contributed to the complex nature of operation along Zamfara forests.
Are you impressed with the manner at which our national assembly members from Zamfara state are blowing the security situation in Zamfara state on the floor of the national assembly?
Not at all, in fact I was surprised that, even the N10 billion Senator Marafa fought to secure as an intervention for the victims of banditry in Zamfara state cannot be released for the purpose they were appropriated for and nobody from Zamfara representing us at the national assembly is talking or making effort to see this matter is fulfilled. We have senators, we have members of the federal house of representative but no one is talking for the benefit of Zamfara people. It is unfortunate.
If the Governor can be supported by these national assembly members, the story would have been different but I believe something within the system is not working and that is terribly bad.
Don’t you think the State Governor needs to lead another delegation to meet the President on this issue of insecurity in Zamfara State?
That may be another option but to be candid, when I was a Special Adviser to distinguished Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, we visited the President multiple of times regarding this Zamfara insecurity and I see us getting same result. In my own opinion federal government should simply review its strategies on this insecurity and unless something serious is done the problem will continue.
But like I said, the federal and state governments need to be ready to fight these insurgents just the way they collectively fought Covid-19 Pandemic. I think Corona Virus is a good lesson for all of us
