In this piece, Northern Bureau Chief, MUHAMMAD SABIU reports stakeholders’ concern over the Zamfara State government’s inaction on the banditry committee’s report which indicted top politicians, traditional rulers, among other members of the state’s elite.
A 279-page report on banditry in Zamfara, which was leaked to a media house by a former lawmaker and member of a committee set up to look into the issue, has continued to generate mixed feelings.
The report, which was said to have been submitted to the state governor, Bello Matawalle, two years ago, was said to have indicted 15 emirs, 10 security personnel, and three ex-governors. Another aspect of the report indicted some top government officials from the previous administration, and also made recommendations on the need to overhaul the 17 emirate councils to 3 emirates.
The committee, which was headed by a former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji M.D. Abubakar, also had the likes of Senator Saidu Dansadau, a former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mamman Tsafe, among others.
The report, which looked into the activities of bandits between 2011 and 2019, held that 6,319 persons were either arbitrarily or willfully killed, while 3,672 others were kidnapped.
According to the report, a ransom of N2, 805,049,748 was said to have been paid within the period under review, while 6,483 women and 25,050 children became widows and orphans, respectively. The report further revealed that 215,241 cows, 141,404 sheep, and 20,600 other animals (such as camels and donkeys) were rustled, while 3,587 houses and 1,487 vehicles and motorcycles were burnt within the period under review.
The committee members included persons described as having performed well in public service, and as such, expectations, following the submission of the report, were high. However, as days rolled into months and months rolled into years, nothing was heard from the government.
It was gathered that the only time the governor mentioned his resolve to implement the recommendations of the committee was during the second anniversary of his administration— two years after the report was submitted.
‘The world is watching to see whether the governor will implement the committee’s recommendations’
A reliable source, who pleaded anonymity, said at the time the report was submitted, one of the first class traditional rulers who was accused of aiding banditry got wind that the governor was planning to suspend him and others, therefore, reached out to a prominent official in the presidency.
“Yes, it was his first litmus test. The people of the state, as well as the world, are watching to see whether he will implement the report or not. But then, unknown to many, his hands are tied,” the source said.
It was alleged that the government’s official prevailed on the governor against taking such a decision. According to findings, he told the governor that even if the traditional ruler was found wanting, there were ways to deal with him secretly, but not to ridicule him in public. The government official was said to have told the governor that traditional institutions should be protected, as they are the last hope of the people. So, the governor reportedly suspended the decision to suspend the indicted traditional ruler.
The source also faulted the claim made by the newspaper that 15 emirs were indicted in the report, saying only four emirs and some district heads were indicted.
The source said: “We have 17 emirs and 15 emirs cannot in all honesty be involved in criminal act, leaving only two emirs. I think the media just wants to be mischievous.”
‘Two emirs have been suspended, another sacked’
Buttressing his point, the source disclosed that two of the indicted emirs have been suspended, while one had been sacked and a new emir appointed in his place. The embattled emirs who are currently under suspension are the emirs of Zurmi and Dansadau.
For the Emir of Zurmi, the state government, sometime in March 2021, received a security report that his palace was attacked, some property vandalised, while a section of the palace was burnt. It was also alleged that there were threats to kill him over his alleged complicity in banditry.
It took the efforts of security agencies to whisk the traditional ruler away from the palace to a safer place. When the sad development happened, the government sent a delegation to pacify the people and to find out the cause of the mayhem.
A few days after the incident, a village known as Kadawa under the emirate was attacked by bandits and 90 people were reportedly killed. Following the attack, residents were said to have accused the emir of being behind the attack, and the state government acted swiftly by suspending the emir. Thereafter, a committee was set up to investigate the allegations leveled against the emir.
For the Emir of Dansadau, it was alleged that several petitions were written against him, linking him to banditry. “Government is aware of the intention of the people to burn his palace. Thus, he was summarily suspended and a committee was set up to investigate the allegations against him,” a source said.
In the case of the former Emir of Maru, the people of Kanoma, in 2020, rose against him when he was asked to deliver a speech during a visit by the governor to the emirate. The people, it was learnt, started jeering at him when he stood up to speak. The governor and his entourage were shocked at the scenario, and the event had to be cancelled. The governor and his entourage hurriedly left the venue to Gusau, the state capital.
Later, a committee was set up to investigate the emir and he was said to have been found guilty and he was subsequently removed as emir and detained for 11 months. After his release, the former traditional ruler instituted a N6 billion suit against the government, challenging his detention. Last week, the embattled former emir lost his case as the presiding High Court Judge, Justice Bello Shinkafi, dismissed the case on the premise that his detention did not in any way violate the law.
However, a source noted that the intervention from the top government official in the presidency might have slowed the process and even prevented the governor from taking decisive action on the two suspended traditional rulers.
Another burning issue in the report was the recommendation to reduce the emirate councils from 17 to three emirates. Findings indicated that the committee had observed that the current 17 emirate councils in the state were gulping enormous resources in view of the security challenges.
However, according to findings, the recommendation to reduce the number of emirates did not go down well with the state government. A government house source, who pleaded for anonymity, asserted that instead of solving the problems, the recommendation would “add salt to injury.”
According to the source, “The people of the state are already used to their traditional institutions. We have many district heads and village heads. Now, what are you going to do with those that might be relieved of their titles and appointments if the emirate councils are merged?
“The governor I know will not rush to carry out this recommendation that is pregnant with so many technicalities and uncertainties.”
‘It’ll be unfair to the people if action isn’t taken against all indicted persons’
There have also been allegations that some government officials who were indicted in the report are still in service. Speaking on the development, an activist, Salisu Anka, said: “It will be difficult to take an action against them. And this is not fair because we all know that most of the houses are owned by the civil servants, and we know some of these civil servants have rented out these houses to these criminals and their families.
“Indeed, the report which exposes the complicity of some traditional rulers, security personnel and some top government officials is not only worrisome, but it is a fundamental duty for the governor to act and bring them to justice in the interest of the people and state.”
Allegations against ex-governors and perceived bottlenecks
But more complicated is the alleged indictment of two former governors of the state, who were accused of giving out the forests to farmers at the expense of the Fulani, which later culminated into the crisis between the ‘Yan Sa Kai’ (vigilantes) and the Fulani herders, and contributed to the present banditry in the state.
Also, the alleged indictment of one of the former governors for encouraging banditry as a result of his nonchalant attitude to addressing it during his tenure is another litmus test, considering his influence in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), both in the state and at the national level.
Findings revealed that the present governor may find it difficult to take a decisive action against the trio for political reasons, since all three ex-governors are APC members. One of the ex-governors indicted in the report was said to have influenced the decamping of Matawalle from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC.
Akilu Atiku, an ardent supporter of one of the former governors, noted that the recommendation to punish his boss is “like telling the camel to pass through the eye of a needle.”
According to him, “The governor and my boss are on the same page. They are not only in touch, but Yarima is working hard for his reelection bid.”
However, despite the perceived bottlenecks to implementing the recommendations of the committee, the present military campaign has recorded major successes in the last one month.
In a recent interview in Kaduna, the state commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, while reeling out the successes recorded in the military operations, affirmed that majority of the bandits have relocated to neighbouring states of Sokoto, Katsina, Niger and Kaduna.
He also said over 2,000 bandit informants have been arrested by the military, while hundreds of kidnapped victims have been freed. Findings also revealed that some top bandit commanders have been arrested.
However, despite the efforts of security agencies in tackling bandits, according to stakeholders, it is still expected that the state will take a decisive action in relation to the recommendations contained in the committee’s report.