MONDAY’S EDITORIAL

The recent tragedy that befalls the people of Tsafe community on Sunday is really a source of concern to every serious minded Zamfara person.

It is an action that indicated that “things are really falling apart” and also clearly manifesting that, our security strategies are both weak and ill-effective.

Armed bandits coming into a big town like Tsafe around 8:00pm firing gunshots sporadically and heading straight to the house of a whole commissioner for Security of a state killing those they like and move on without anyone of them being killed or arrested????

This is a serious and sad development for our collective social setting and this has clearly shown that the very good foundation of our corporate survival as citizens under the shield of a legitimate structure called “GOVERNMENT” is being threatened by some group of people who are attempting to probe that they are more powerful than the government.

Just last Friday a whole highway linking people of Gummi, Bukkuyum and Anka with the rest part of the state and even the capital city was under siege by another group of bandits for close to eight hours and citizens who were playing the highway were put to trauma as they have to wait for hours for the road to be cleared. This is something severe which has the capacity of undermining our strength as people.

A day to the Friday incident of hijacking Anka highway by the bandits, information reliably reaching us indicated that they have invaded three communities under Anka and killed scores of innocent citizens before going ahead to put the main Anka-Mayanchi road under siege.

As reported by this medium the first set of people to fall victims of these bandits attack along the Anka highway had to negotiated their freedom for (N1.2) million naira if not they would have started their Ramadan in the hands of their abductors.

One cannot to talk of Sheme-Yankara and Tsafe road because it has become a deadly zone that no one can predict at which point of that road he will be attacked by these heartless group of people. According to Ismail Mudi Tsafe during one of our interview with him, he said the bandits have even named Sheme-Yankara-Tsafe road as “SAMINAKA”.

As for the Gusau-Dansadau road one does not want to even make a comment on it because the people of that part of Zamfara have been crying for attention for several months even though a Commissioner in the current government has made a declaration in a radio programme that the road is safer and that one can drive on that road even at 10:00pm!!!.

It’s our belief that a human being with conscience cannot look at Zamfara people and be throwing stone at their faces by telling them all is well as regard to the security if really he is a professional information manager who understands that information management in the 21st century is not about hurting the citizens who are the majority to please your pay-master.

But with all sense of humanity what happened in Tsafe is further defining the weakness of our state security architecture, there is no second thought about this hypothesis.

We are all citizens of Zamfara and like we used to argue we have no other state than Zamfara but in all honesty we have to accept the simple fact that things are not working well in terms of ensuring the security and safety of the people.

The government need to suspend all that it is doing, especially those that relate to politics and concentrate on decision-making that will help secure Zamfara people and enhance their confidence that government is really serious.

For us, we have aligned ourselves with the position of Sheikh Nura Khalid that security shall be more important to typical citizen of Zamfara than politics. And it is clear that the government has signed a social contract to secure the lives and properties of the citizens of Zamfara. That bond which was signed by the government must remain under sealed regardless of what!!!.

Again, we shall not be playing a “game of pretence” because, many areas within Gusau the state capital have been under the fear of bandits attack for some months now. Areas like Damba, Mareri, part of Jauri to mention, but a few are clear evidences of this position we have painted.

The government must agree with us that the security strategies are not working well and unless this bitter truth is accepted we shall not underestimate what these bandits may do eventually.

It is time government go back to the drawing board and develop new strategies that may be active but for now, it is evidently clear that, things are falling apart.

Bandits launching attacks during Ramadan and so unfortunate taking the fight to the door step of the state commissioner for Security, a retired Police DIG for that matter? It sounds in unbelievable, but it is not a dream, it is an absolute reality.

With heavy heart, we have condemned the deadly attack launched on Tsafe people in this holy month of Ramadan, and we pray for God almighty to grant those killed eternal rest.

As for the government, the earlier we accepted that all is not well and come to the drawing board to develop a new strategy, the better for the state.

May Allah secure Zamfara people.