Unraveling the Zamfara conundrum

AS it has been with embattled Nigerian states such as Plateau, Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba, Benue and Kaduna, all turned into the horrendous killing fields of our dear nation, over the past decade, so it is now with Zamfara State. The figures of causalities are simply frightening, igniting calls for the declaration of state of emergency. For instance, as of July 13, 2018, media reports claimed that over 3,000 helpless citizens had their precious lives wasted in the state, in two years, precisely between June 2016 and June, 2018!

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Furthermore, some 682 villages and towns were literally sacked by the armed bandits with 2,706 farms destroyed even as 13, 838 cattle and 11,088 sheep and goats were carted away. They also succeeded in stealing 2,244 motorcycles. Many citizens have been kidnapped for ransom with several houses destroyed. And over N1.2 billion was paid as ransom to secure the release of residents abducted during the period. As expected, not a few of the residents took flight into the neighbouring states of Katsina and Kebbi.

There has been blame-game between a former senator, Sa’idu Dansadau, who reeled out these mind-freezing  figures at a press conference in  Abuja in June and  Governor Yari’s special adviser on public enlightenment, media, and communication, Malam Ibrahim Dosara. On his part, Dansadau renewed his appeal to the president to “invoke his powers under Section 305 (3) (c) (d) and (f) & (5) of the Constitution and declare state of emergency in Zamfara to deal with the horrific, indiscriminate daily killings and violation of innocent people of Zamfara by an emboldened band of criminals in order to restore normalcy.”

The governor’s aide, however, reminded the former lawmaker that removing officials democratically elected by people is not as easy as what Dansadau thinks. He went further to accuse him as one of the people engineering the crisis in the state; that he has been sabotaging efforts towards ending the banditry, and should be ashamed of challenging both the federal and Zamfara state governments on the killings.

He admonished him instead to go back to his emirate and give his piece of advice. He also reminded him that the governor had set up “a committee of elders to fish out anybody involved in banditry in whatever capacity.”

Meanwhile, characteristic of the recurring melodrama that often plays itself out in Nigeria’s effervescent political space, while they are busy chasing the shadows of  who to blame for obvious institutional failures of governance , precious and priceless lives are being lost on daily basis. There the pain lies. It is curious, for instance, that while on September 11, 2018, Lai Muhammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, was gleefully celebrating the so-called drastic reduction in the number of killings in Zamfara State, the bandits were still out there preparing to wreak  more havoc!

It was a good initiative that 1000-men military force, comprising the army, air force, police and the civil defence corps was there to launch fierce attack on the bandits terrorising the villages and towns of Zamfara State as Lai claimed. It was commendable effort that the police repelled attacks from armed bandits at Mahanga Forest in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area of the state; that in the process, they killed 104 bandits, destroyed over 50 bandits’ hideouts in three camps and recovered over 500 cattle and 79 sheep.

But they could not stop the killing of not less than 12 police officers, contrary to the claim by the force spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, that the police lost only one officer and 12 persons were injured.  According to Yemi Itodo, sister to the late Sergeant Itodo, this was revealed as the message she got from an eye witness account.

Whatever might have happened, who says that any Nigerian should die from largely preventable deaths? What is the statutory role of government if not to act as a protective father-figure; to ensure the security of every citizen, and provide for his welfare, irrespective of status as enshrined in Section 14(2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution as amended? Why has it been impossible to single out the mindless masterminds behind the Boko Haram insurgency which began with the Muhammaed Yusuf altercation with the then government of Borno State and has since snowballed into a conflagration that claimed thousands of innocent souls? Where are the parents of these cruel youths whose voices are only heard when their people have fallen victims of their evil machination?  Who are those arming these malleable and gullible youths with sophisticated arms and ammunition instead of with quality education delivery and self sustaining jobs? And why are they going scot-free with murder?

The time to put in place strong institutions of youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, job creation and infrastructural development, prompt information gathering mechanism and taking preventive actions is now. A stitch in time will surely save nine.

• Baje writes from Lagos