TIME TO END ZAMFARA KILLINGS

The killing of defenseless poor people in Zamfara State has become a matter of great concern. Zamfara State has turned to another Syria or Somalia where attacks are being carried out with impunity and lives are lost on daily basis. What started as pure banditry has transformed to monster defying any solutions.

Now, some villages in the state have become no go area.The dare devil kidnappers and bandits have continued to terrorise the state. The state government has become helpless and looking up for help from the federal government which controls the security apparatus.The curious question begging for answer is: What happened to the operation Harbin Kunama, an outfit launched by Mr President two years ago? The operation was launched to rid the state of bandits and other criminals. But sadly, instead of getting respite, the crime is blooming.

The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali, who hails from the state expressed fears that the murderous group of Boko Haram might have infiltrated the cattle rustlers in Zamfara. His assertion may be true. But the problems persist. It had been going on for many years. However, the inability of the state government to speedily respond and tackle the problem might have confounded or made the matter worse. It is reported that some highly traditional and local chiefs or leaders are behind the rampant cases of abduction in the state. With this evidence, it baffles many people on what efforts the state government is putting in place to identify and punish the culprits?

The state governor should be blamed for his failure to address these killings at early stage. As a leader, you can not be globetrotting while your state is on fire. For Abdulazziz Yari, he hardly stays when his attention is needed. This has contributed immensely towards aggravating the problems. The state governor, who is serving his last tenure, has been preoccupied by the politics of successor. His attention is not on the daily onslaught and killings of hapless and defenceless people of his state. Governor Yari just wants his anointed candidate to succeed him. Unknown to him, his successor could only govern the living.

Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna State