Insecurity: Stop hiding behind opposition — APC urges Zamfara Govt

The Zamfara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government in the state to stop hiding behind opposition.

The State APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, stated this in a statement issued in Gusau on Wednesday.

Idris said the Zamfara APC chapter and the people of the state were not satisfied with the manner that the PDP-led government in the state was handling the security sector of the state.

He lamented that the PDP-led government under Gov. Dauda Lawal has continued to accuse the immediate past APC-led administration in the state over its inability to meet its campaign promises to the people.

Idris said, “The PDP-led government in the state, during its campaigns used insecurity against Matawalle’s leadership, promising to eliminate banditry and other security challenges facing the state within its first months in office.

“The Gov. Dauda Lawal’s administration, having failed, returned against the APC because it cannot defeat the banditry activities in the state.

“It is very unfortunate, a recent memo allegedly emanated from the state government and signed by the Secretary to the State Government.

”It was requesting Lawal’s approval to settle some identified bandits and journalists costing over N1 billion, which went viral recently.”

According to him, APC is aware that the state government secretly and without documentation, approved reconciliation between bandits and communities.

”But it is avoiding public backlash on the matter, which was arrived at via a meeting with the governor, government officials and some scholars.

“Communities in the state are being attacked by bandits on a daily basis leading to killings and kidnappings.

“Communities receiving threats from the bandits over failure to contribute millions of naira to them.

“So disheartening is the recent case of the Moriki community contributing over N30 million to bandits,” he explained.

Idris urged the PDP- led state government to explain why the former Chairman of the State Security Trust Fund, Muhammad Abubakar, resigned his appointment.

He lamented the increasing number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.

Idris also decried that a large number of vulnerable groups of people in the state have turned to beggars for lack of state government’s help.

“I called on the Zamfara Governor to desist from politicising the security issue as he did during the campaign period.

“Now is the time for action, not propaganda, as a government, you should concentrate on responsibilities and not blame the opposition,” the APC publicity scribe said.

When contacted, the Director-General Media and Communications to the state government, Malam Nuhu Anka, described the allegations as baseless.

Anka said that the state government remained on its stand not to negotiate with the bandits.

He accused the immediate past administration in the state under the former Governor, Matawalle, for allegedly not handling security matters with experience.

“All those allegations by the APC are just to blacklist Gov. Lawal’s administration.

“The security measures taken by Gov. Lawal immediately after his assumption as a governor in the state have yielded positive results in tackling the security challenges in the state.

“The establishment of the Community Protection Guard (CPG) has reduced bandits’ attacks in our communities.

“The number of attacks and kidnapping in our communities have reduced, if compared with the Matawalle’s time,” Anka maintained.