(MONDAY EDITORIAL)

Shinkafi-Moriki-Kaura Namoda road has become one of the deadliest road a typical Zamfara commuter may dream of plying through these days.

For the past one or two weeks, hardly a day passes without hearing a story of armed bandits either attacking commuters on the road or invading communities along the road.

Last week alone we reported through this medium that, Sardaunan Shinkafi posted on his Facebook page that the bandits attacked the road crashes (15) vehicles, sets five of them on fire, killed (6) persons and injured many people conveyed inside one of the Sharon vehicle attacked by the bandits.

Salisu Moriki one of the concern citizens from the area also reported with the saddest emotion that, “in these days, it is hardly to have commercial cars that will board passengers from Kaura to Moriki to Shinkafi for fear of being killed by bandits”.

He reported further, “the bandits are having field days in this road because they now operate at any time of the day. They operate in the morning, afternoon, evening or at night — depends on when they wish to. They are now the unofficial custodians of this road”.

“They have taken several days operating along Kaura — Moriki — Shinkafa way, comfortably kidnapping, robbing and even killing innocent people at will”.

This is really a source of concern to many people of Zamfara because the government need to seat up and redefine it’s strategic security approach in that part of the state considering the level at which the bandits are freely becoming authorities of their own.

We have learned that in Moriki for instance the bandits moved freely and kidnap innocent people and sometimes killed those who resisted their temptation without security agencies taking measures to avert their actions.

As it stands now, many indigents of Moriki who do not stay within Moriki town are prevented from coming back home to see their relations and love ones due to the fear of the bandits attack.

The popular fear among the residents along the area is that if one escapes armed bandits attack along the Moriki-Shinkafi road he may not be certain that he can come out of the town safely

The main source of concern to many of us as stakeholders is the continued lamentations by the residents of the area that there are no security presence along the road and that only local vigilante are seeing patrolling the 50 kilometer highway.

There is need for both the federal and state governments to understand that things are falling apart in that part of Zamfara state and that, unless urgent security measures are deployed to reverse the situation, problems of social insecurity would continue to rise beyond human comprehension.

Last month, after our report of deadly attack along that road, the Police Commissioner Ayuba Elkana visited the road to see things for himself and also boost the morale of the police officers claimed to have been deployed for patrol purpose in the area and we were impressed with the action of the Commissioner.

Surprisingly, however, few days later, the citizens are lamenting that there are no conventional security operatives along that particular road linking Shinkafi with Moriki and Kaura Namoda.

It is on this note we would call on the authorities, especially the security agencies to be apt by providing adequate security personals to patrol the area and ensure the safety of the commuters plying that road.

And we call on the governments, especially the state government to take decisive security approach of making sure that those kidnapped by the bandits are rescued and that those who lost their properties and assets to the bandits have been adequately compensated.

We need to take every security threat in Zamfara with all sense of seriousness, especially the one involving that part of the state because the Shinkafi-Moriki-Kaura Namoda road connect the neighboring states of Kano, Katsina with Sokoto and Zamfara.

Majority of those who fall victims of the armed bandit attacks along the road may not necessarily be indigents of Zamfara but may be innocent commuters plying the road for transit purpose alone.

We again emphasize the need for the Governor to renew his security strategies because the existing ones look defective and are not seemed to have power to address the security problems confronting the state.

We all have a duty to ensure that no citizen from any part of the state is abandoned to his fate when there is government saddled with the responsibility of protecting his life and property.

The essence of government world over is to respond to the yearning and concern of its citizens. It is not about criticizing the government, but it is about calling the attention of the government to do what is necessary, especially where much are expected.