Kidnapping: Why Zamfara governor moved against emir accused of receiving ransom

WHEN Alhaji Muhammad Bello Matawalle was reading his acceptance speech after being sworn in as the new governor of Zamfara State on May 29, he pointedly told bandits who had been on rampage in parts of the state to put a stop to their criminal acts or leave the state. Many of his listeners might have thought that the statement was one of those empty threats by new leaders in the saddle. However, many were taken aback, when he took a decisive step to suspend the Emir of Maru, Alhaji Abubakar Ibrahim, a second class ruler in the state over his alleged link with bandits.

Alhaji Ibrahim was suspended alongside the senior District Head of Kanoma, Alhaji Ahmed Lawal, who was equally accused of having links with the bandits. Both were asked to hand over all official materials in their custody to the next senior officers in their domains.

Emir of Maru’s predicament did not just start today. Investigations by  Arewa Live revealed that since he assumed office, he has always been having issues with his subjects. A palace source who pleaded for anonymity remarked that series of invitations from security agencies had been extended to the emir in the past.  Though reasons for the invitations were not made public, Arewa Live findings revealed that the invitations were all allegations related to issues that had to do with security in the state.

A member of the emirate council who gave his name as Abubakar Jakada alleged that quite often some of the stolen cows retrieved by security agencies and taken to the palace for safe-keeping often develop wings without trace or sometimes owners of such cows, allegedly, were forced to pay money before recovering their livestock.

“In several cases, owners of such cows were always forced to sell them to the emir; sometimes owners of the stolen cows would come to the palace with evidence or identity of their cows but they would be compelled to drop certain amount or in some cases they would only take some but not all of the cows. These actions were often without explanations,” another insider alleged.

Arewa Live learnt further that many residents had reportedly lodged complaints against the emir with the police and other security agencies but nothing incriminating had been found against him. No indictments were made either.

A background check on the emir revealed that he was a chairman of the defunct All People›s Party (APP) in Maru Local Government as well as a former sole administrator in the council. This privileged background, some sources revealed, might have served as reason nothing had happened to him over some of the allegations.

Findings by Arewa Live also revealed that the embattled emir came to the throne of his forefathers in 2012 when he succeeded the late emir, Ibrahim Na›uma who died in the course of protracted illness.

However, since the beginning of this year, several more allegations were leveled against the emir. One was the sale of five pregnant cows in one of the livestock markets in Abuja. The cows were allegedly taken to Abuja for sale but the potential buyers became suspicious as they reasoned that no rational Fulani man would take five pregnant cows to the market for sale.

Arewa Live findings gathered that the livestock market leaders later invited the police to arrest and interrogate those who brought the cows. Police investigations later discovered that fingers were pointed in the direction of the emir.

Though the emir was allegedly invited to Abuja for questioning, he was released for want of evidence, though the case is said to be under investigation till date.

Another allegation was that sometimes ago a truck loaded with cows was arrested at Gada Biyu in Gusau metropolis and when the driver and two others were apprehended and subsequently interrogated, they alleged that the emir was the owner of the vehicle. Again the emir was invited for questioning and he was asked to make a statement, but was later released on self recognition.

However, the last straw that broke the camel›s back was the abduction of an engineer and four others by bandits in Kanoma village in Maru Local Government Area recently.

When they were kidnapped Arewa Live gathered that the family of one of the abductees who is also an engineer began to negotiate with the bandits for his release. The kidnappers, it was learnt, requested for the sum of N50million as ransom. However, after a series of phone calls, they agreed to a sum of N3million.

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However, to the chagrin of family members of the engineer, while three of the five victims were released, the engineer remained in captivity.

Piqued by this development family members of the engineer alleged that the ransom they paid was given to the senior district head of Kanoma as directed by the bandits. When the district head was summoned for explanation, he also alleged that he had handed over the ransom to the emir.

It was on this premise that the state governor, Alhaji Matawalle immediately suspended the emir and the senior district head and set up a committee to investigate their alleged links with bandits.

A top security officer in the state who was privy to the committee meeting was quoted as telling the governor that the embattled emir has been under investigation for some time, saying his suspension was long overdue.

According to the security officer, banditry in the state which dated back to 2010 has turned into a lucrative business.

Though Arewalive had not been able speak to any member of the committee, it was learnt that the governor will soon send a bill to the state House of Assembly which will criminalise kidnapping and banditry with a penalty of a death sentence on offenders.

It was gathered that the governor wanted a speedy passage of the bill so that those connected with kidnapping and banditry could be quickly brought to justice.

In addition, since the governor assumed office, he had met with the national leadership of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association under the leadership of Mohammed Kiruwa and indicated his resolve to provide grazing routes to the Fulani as part of measures to curtail or end the crisis engendering farmers/herders clashes in the state.

Arewa Live recalls that early last month no fewer than 50 people were killed by bandits in Isa and Rabbah Local Government Areas of Sokoto State, while several cattle were rustled. About 30 bandits were said to have surrounded the villages and fired shots sporadically leading to many fatalities and many others injured.