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Tag: Zamfara

  • Again, armed bandits invade Zamfara community, kill three

    There was pandemonium again in Zamfara State on Wednesday as armed bandits invaded some communities killing at least three persons.

    Police confirm the incident which occurred at Bawan Daji village in Anka Local Government Area of the state.

    The Zamfara police spokesperson, Mohammed Shehu newsmen in Gusau that the killing was perpetrated by gunmen.

    Shehu said the gunmen who came in large numbers attacked the village in the early hours of Wednesday shooting sporadically which led to the death of the three persons.

    He said the villagers who were taken unawares were quick to alert a nearby mobile police patrol team which came and engaged the bandits in a gun battle.

    The spokesperson said the police officers overpowered the bandits and many of them escaped with gunshot wounds.

    He urged members of the public to be on alert to report to the nearest authority anyone seen with bullet wounds and seeking medical attention.

    Shehu said normalcy had returned to the affected village with people going about their normal businesses.

    Hundreds of people have been killed in different Zamfara communities by armed persons who also burn and destroy properties.

    The killings have continued despite President Muhammadu Buhari ordering the military to clampdown on the armed person. The president also visited Zamfara last week as part of his official visit to violence affected states.

     

  • Killings: Buhari arrives Zamfara, to hold peace talks with traditional rulers, others

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Gusau, Zamfara, presided over a town hall meeting in continuation of his tour of troubled areas across the country.

    The President in company of his aides landed at the Gusau helipad at about 10.40a.m after taking off from Umaru Musa Yar’Adua international airport Katsina.

    The governors of Sokoto and Kebbi states, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and Atiku Bagudu respectively, some cabinet ministers, traditional and religious leaders, top government officials were among those that received the president.

    President Buhari reviewed a parade mounted by the Army and Air Force.

    He is scheduled to address traditional rulers and other stakeholders during the visit, and condole with families and communities that suffered from various forms of violent crimes in the state.

    Zamfara has witnessed cases of attacks by armed bandits with hundreds of innocent people killed and property worth billions of naira carted away or destroyed.

    The recent attack by bandits at Birane village in Zurmi Local Government area of the state left over 50 people dead.

    One of the most notorious bandits, Tsoho Buhari, popularly referred to as Buhari Daji, was recently killed by a repentant cattle rustler in the state.

    Details shortly…

  • Herdsmen/farmers clashes: Why I didn’t rush to Taraba, Benue, other troubled states – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on explained why he didn’t rush to some troubled states despite the criticisms.

    The president reiterated that he has his way of monitoring developments instead of “rushing” to crises spots and “making noise”.

    Buhari spoke in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, during his visit to assess the situation in the state and condole with victims of violence.

    No fewer than 200 people are believed to have been killed in communal disputes, herders/farmers clashes and others in the state.

    Many of the dead were buried in mass graves. Many are injured and hospitalised. Others have been forced out of their homes.

    The local government areas worst- hit by the herdsmen/farmers crisis are: Lau, Ibi, Gassol, Bali, Wukari, Takum and Sardauna where scores were killed in renewed violence at the weekend.

    Leaders of the violence-hit communities were at the Government House yesterday to meet with the President, who urged all Nigerians to embrace peace and live together in harmony so that “there could be meaningful development and not destruction”.

    “I am here (Taraba) to meet with the leadership of the state, to offer my condolences to those who lost loved ones and properties in violence.

    “People, sometimes expect me to rush out to the fields, to go and make noise.

    “But I have my ways of gathering intelligence. I get to know what is happening across the country without necessarily going to those areas.

    “I will be going to Benue and Zamfara after I return from Ghana to also condole with the people,” Buhari said.

    He urged traditional rulers in the state to step up activities in their various chiefdoms to foster peaceful coexistence among their subjects and to remain vigilant at all times.

    The President was accompanied by Minister of Women Affairs Hajia Aisha Alhassan , Minister of Defence Manir Dan Ali; Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed, some Service Chiefs and National Assembly members from the state.

    The delegation was received by Governor Darius Ishaku and state’s lawmakers, led by the speaker.

    President Buhari said he chose to visit Taraba first, before Benue and Zamfara states, adding that there were more killings in Taraba, Benue and Zamfara states.

    Ishaku said the state was delighted to welcome the President in its trying time.

    The governor noted that Taraba State was a “mini Nigeria”, with its over 80 ethnic groups and three religions to handle. “It is not easy to always balance things up here.”

    Ishaku said the state was contending with a different breed of herdsmen who are militias moving around with AK 47 rifles to remove anything in their way, unlike the known herdsmen who had cohabited with the people for decades without skirmishes.

    “The problem is never between the locals. The local Fulani and other tribes blend without issues.

    “We have a new breed and specie of herdsmen militias who move around with sophisticated weapons; they are poised to remove anything in their track.

    “They must be arrested now before it degenerates to something we can not contend with,” Ishaku said.

    Opinion leaders from the warring ethnic groups insisted that justice and fairness must be seen to be taking their course and the rule of law allowed to prevail for peace to return.

    The President is also expected to visit Yoe State where 110 girls were kidnapped on February 19 and Rivers State where many people were killed in New Year’s Day attack perpetrated by the late Don Wayne.

    In a statement, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina said the President had urged the Armed Forces and other security agencies to compile comprehensive reports on the various incidents.

    “Having received and studied the reports, the President has decided to undertake an on the spot assessment of the various occurrences and to meet and console the communities affected.

    Adesina said: “From today, March 5, he will visit Taraba, and subsequently Benue, Yobe, Zamfara and Rivers states.

    “President Buhari has been receiving daily briefings, and has been in constant touch with the governors, and has been updated with situation reports.”

    The President has also called on all Nigerians, especially those in the affected areas, to cooperate fully with the security agencies to enable them curb the spate of crimes, bring those responsible to justice and prevent furthe

  • JUST IN: Zamfara teacher flogs student to death

    A Zamfara teacher at Government Day Secondary School Sankalawa in Bungudu Local Government Area has allegedly flogged a student to death.

    The incident was revealed on Wednesday by Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar-Gummi, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly.

    The deputy speaker, who spoke under matters of urgent public importance during the assembly’s sitting in Gusau, said that the house had received several reports on the issue.

    According to him, another incident at Government Female Day Secondary School, Kwatarkwashi, had led to the injury of a student in the school after the Vice Principal allegedly subjected her to heavy punishment.

    Gummi said: “These problems apart from discouraging our children from acquiring education, also revealed poor attitude to work on the part of teachers in this state.”

    He urged the House to invite the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology to explain steps taken to address the issues.

    The Speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji described the actions of the teachers as unfortunate and vowed that the assembly would not allow the matter to pass.

    “It is part of our responsibilities to ensure effective security and good learning atmosphere for our children for their future development, therefore, we cannot allow teachers to continue harassing our children from schools,” he said.

    The Speaker directed the House Committee on Education, Science and Technology to invite the commissioner to appear before it on the matter.

    Meanwhile, the Assembly has passed into law the bill for the establishment of Zamfara State University, Talata-Mafara.

     

  • Police arrest three suspects in connection with killings in Zamfara

    Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on Sunday arrested three suspects in connection with the recent killings in Birance village in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

    The suspects are : Halilu Garba, 45, alias Mabushi, Zubairu Marafa, 45, alias Wakili and Nafi’u Badamasi, 40, alias Zakiru.

    Recall that the bandits, suspected to be cattle rustlers, had on Feb. 14 killed 18 persons in Birane village.

    The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Ibrahim Idris had deployed additional three units of Police Mobile Force ( PMF) to the area.

    In a statement the Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said that the suspects, who are now in custody, were assisting the Police in their investigation.

    Moshood said all suspects would be arraigned in court on completion of investigation.

    A joint investigation team, headed by the Assistant Inspector -General of Police in charge of intelligence at the Force Headquarters, was also dispatched to the state to fish out the perpetrators.

     

  • Killings: I-G deploys 3 additional Police Mobile Force units to Zamfara

    The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Ibrahim Idris, has deployed additional three units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) to Birane village in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara, to forestall further loss of lives.

    TheNewsGuru reports that bandits suspected to be cattle rustlers had on Feb. 14 killed 18 persons in Birane village.

    TNG also reports that seven PMF units were recently deployed to the state to augment the personnel of the Police Command there.

    A statement by the Force spokesman, CSP Jimoh Moshood, said that Idris gave the directive after a visit to the state to carry out on-the-spot assessment of the incident.

    He said that the I-G, who was accompanied by the AIG Zone 10, Sokoto, and commissioners of police in the zone, held a stakeholders’ meeting with the people.

    Moshood said that that a joint investigation team headed by the Assistant Inspector -General of Police in charge of intelligence at the Force Headquarters was also dispatched to the state.

    He said that the team was under a definite and strict mandate to arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of the killings and investigate the remote and direct causes of the mayhem.

    “They are further directed by the I-G to arrest and disarm all suspected bandits, militias and criminal groups in possession of prohibited firearms and restricted weapons in the region,“he said.

    Moshood said that the I-G had also placed Commissioners of Police, their Supervising Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and all Personnel of the Force in States Contiguous to Zamfara on red alert.

    According to him, normalcy has been restored in the area and the situation is under control.

    The spokesman assured the people of Zamfara and other states in the country of adequate protection of their lives and property.

    “The Force, therefore, encourages them to go about their lawful activities without fear or apprehension but support and cooperate with the Police personnel deployed in their localities,“ he said.

     

  • Killings: IGP orders deployment of three additional mobile units to Zamfara

    The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has said that three additional mobile police units would be deployed to Zamfara to beef up security.


    Idris made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on Saturday in Gusau after a condolence visit over Thursday’s attack in Birane village, Zurmi Local Government area in which over 40 people died.


    The IGP also said the police had set up a committee to investigate the incident and suggest measures to end such attacks.


    Idris added that the Federal Government has approved the recruitment of 6,000 policemen in 2018, to further strengthen security in the country


    “We believe the recruitment would assist in the government efforts to address security challenges facing the country.
    “We are here to commiserate with Zamfara State Government, Zurmi Emirate Council over this incident.


    “We received complaints of shortage of personnel from the stakeholders; we are going to deploy additional three units of police mobile to the state to strengthen the state police command in tackling security challenges.


    “We are going to set up a committee to investigate the incident aimed at avoiding the re-occurrence of the menace in the future; the committee is coming to this state next Monday Insha Allah.’’


    He commended the state government for its support to the police and urged stakeholders to assist all security agencies with relevant information to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the state.


    The IGP was received by the state Deputy Governor, Malam Ibrahim Wakkala at Government House, Gusau.


    He had earlier paid similar visit to Emir of Zurmi to commiserate with the families and relatives of the deceased.

  • Zamfara killings: PDP bemoans daily massacre of Nigerians, calls for prayers

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the gruesome murder of 41 Nigerians by marauders in Zamfara State and urged Nigerians to join forces in praying for the nation.

    The party made the condemnation in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan on Saturday in Abuja.

    Ologbondiyan urged the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled Federal Government to take decisive steps to end the incessant killings in various parts of the country.

    He said it was heartbreaking that Nigerians were daily slaughtered by marauders.

    “In the last two months, hundreds of helpless citizens have been murdered by bandits in various parts of the country.

    “Hardly have tears dried over the gruesome killings in Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Nasarawa and other states when marauders hit Zamfara, a state known for peace, killing 41 citizens in cold blood.

    “Nigerians now live defenceless and in perpetual fear; our people are fast losing confidence in our institutions.

    “As we speak, citizens are now sourcing their own security as APC-controlled Federal Government daily manifest crass indifference to the protection of our people,’’ Ologbondiyan alleged.

    He said that the PDP stood with all citizens across the nation and share in their pains at this critical time.

    The party spokesman called on all Nigerians, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity and political affiliation, as well as all people of goodwill across the world, to join forces in praying for the nation.

    He also urged Nigerians to support the government and one another at what he described as critical time of the nation.

    “We call on the APC-controlled Federal Government to seek help from Nigerians who can assist in our current situation.

    “Our people have witnessed enough bloodletting and we must collectively find an end to the carnage.

    “The PDP commiserates with the families of those killed in Zamfara and other states and pray God to grant us peace and all round protection in our country,’’ Ologbondiyan said.

    Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned massacre of innocent persons in Birane village, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

    The President, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday, commiserated with families of the victims of the ”heinous and inhuman attacks on defenceless citizens”.

    President Buhari also directed the Minister of Defence, Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (Rtd) to proceed immediately to the state to undertake an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and report back.

    He also directed security agencies to immediately mobilise and deploy their members to the vulnerable areas of the state, and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to face the full wrath of the law.

     

    ‘Governor Bello sent my attackers,’ says Dino Melaye

  • Photos: Gunmen kill 36 in Zamfara village

    Thirty six people killed by gunmen in Birane Village in Zurmi Local Council of Zamfara State on Wednesday have been buried, amidst outrage in the social media that the tragedy was being downplayed and that there has been no official reaction.

    However, the Police Command in Zamfara admitted that 18 persons died in the attack, which appears to be a reprisal against the villagers for intercepting a suspected cattle rustler.

    The Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Muhammad Shehu, said on Feb. 13, hunters from Birani village of Zurmi local government area intercepted and accosted a herder in the bush with some suspected stolen cattle and sheep.

    “The herder abandoned the animals and escaped into the bush, but unknown to the hunters, the cattle rustler went to Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State and mobilised bandits to attack the hunters.

    “On Feb. 14, the bandits ambushed the hunters in the bush and there was a clash that led to fatalities on both sides.

    “Police/Military and other sister agencies reacted by combing the bush and it’s environs to salvage the situation and discovered 18 dead bodies.

    “It is believed that the bandits took away their own members that were killed. Meanwhile, bush combing is in progress so as to further profile the area.

    “Mobile policemen/Special forces and other security personnel from other sister security agencies have already been deployed to the area to restore peace and stability,” he said.

    The spokesman also said that the command’s Intelligence Unit had already embarked on investigation to arrest the perpetrators of the attack.

    There were comments on social media about the latest tragedy to befall the state, North west of Nigeria.

  • Police arrest kidnapper, recover arms in Zamfara

    The Police Command in Zamfara has arrested a suspected kidnapper and cattle rustler, Musa Abdullahi a.k.a Gaugai, the command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Muhammad Shehu, has said.

    Shehu disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Gusau on Wednesday.

    He said the arrest was part of the command’s sustained efforts to rid the state of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other criminal activities.

    “The suspect was arrested on January 1 by the Anti kidnapping Squad of the command on Operation Sharar Daji around Kunkeli and Chabi villages in Maru Local Government Area of the state.

    “One Ak47 Riffle with five rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the suspect,” he said

    Reports say that the suspect is believed to be one of the members of a kidnap gang terrorising the state who had been declared wanted by the police.

    Shehu further said that the suspect was assisting the command to fish out other members of the gang.

    “The suspect would be charged to court as soon as the command completes its investigation,” the police spokesman added.

    He urged members of the public to always report any suspicious persons or movement around them to the nearest security outpost.

     

    NAN