By Joseph Erunke & Dirisu Yakubu, with agency reports
Gusau—The Federal Government has said the persistent attacks on residents of Zamfara State by bandits will affect food security in the country.

Government, through the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, also dismissed reports that troops of the Nigerian Army shot and killed many people protesting the renewed killings in the state on Christmas Day.

This came as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday flayed the Federal Government for its inability to stop the incessant killings in the state by bandits.

Interior Minister, Lt.Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau(retd), who expressed worry over the food scarcity that may arise as a result of the attacks, while on an on-the-spot assessment of activities of the bandits in the state in Gusau yesterday, said:

“Since those affected by the killings are largely the agrarian rural dwellers, the activities of the bandits will have a serious impact on agriculture and food security.

“This is a final warning, the bandits must stop these acts forthwith because the Federal Government has devised more stringent ways to deal with them.  I want to assure them that they cannot withstand the consequences.”

He said stakeholders in the security sector in the state would meet to fine-tune the new measures that would be deployed in tackling the threat posed by the bandits.

The minister, however, advised the hoodlums to immediately surrender and embrace peace, and extended President Muhammadu Buhari’s condolences to the people of the state over the attacks.

“This administration will continue to go to any length to protect the lives and properties of the citizens because any single innocent life lost has a devastating effect on the nation and is unacceptable,” he said.

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Responding, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, who is the Acting Governor and Speaker of the state House of Assembly, lamented that the security situation in the state was getting out of hand and requires the concerted efforts of all stakeholders.

“This crisis started as a farmers/herdsmen conflict but has now escalated to the killing of innocent people, rustling and kidnapping,” he said.

The acting governor, who commended the joint efforts of the security agencies at all the flash points, noted that the hoodlums had devised fresh tactics to evade confrontation with security personnel.

No killings during protest — Defence Minister

Also yesterday, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, denied reports that troops of the Nigerian Army shot and killed many people protesting the renewed killings in Zamfara State on Tuesday.

The minister  in a statement by his Public Relations Officer, Col. Tukur Gusau, yesterday, insisted that even as troops intervened to quell the protest, no life was lost, nor was any injury recorded, stressing that it was preposterous for anyone to allege shooting at the protesters by troops of the Nigerian Army.

To this end, the minister enjoined the general public to disregard and ignore such unfounded allegation, saying it was not true.

The statement read:  “The attention of Ministry of Defence has been drawn to an online publication, titled “Shocking video! Army Massacre Protesters Against Killings in Zamfara.”

“The publication alleged that trooops of the Nigerian Army have killed some protesters in Zamfara State.

“This is out-right false, as no protester was shot, let alone anyone losing his life during the unfortunate protest in Tsafe, Zamfara State, yesterday.

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“It is really shocking and utterly ridiculous for any medium to base its story on hearsay and conjectures of a video clip by a reknowned serial liar as was the case in the quoted story. For the avoidance of doubt, the fact of the matter was that on Monday, December 24, 2018, at about 6.35am, the troops deployed at Tsafe Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base, FOB, received a report of protest action by some suspected Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, persons, mostly from Asola village in Tsafe Local Government Area (LGA). They were allegedly protesting against the security situation in their areas and lack of care.

“They were initially cautioned by the Emir of Tsafe on the protest but they were adamant and continued with the protest. They were, however, joined by youths mostly identified as Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, in the area.

“The CJTF armed with Dane guns, clubs and other dangerous objects, attempted to attack the Divisional Police Station, Tsafe, but were stopped by the police on duty. They later moved to the streets, blocking Tsafe-Gusau highway, burning tyres and setting Tsafe LGA secretariat ablaze.

“In the course of the protest, some vehicles parked at the secretariat were also burnt. They destroyed administrative offices, files, office equipment and other valuable items. It was in that process that the troops intervened.

“It is imperative to also state that there was an attempt to also burn down the residence of the chairman, Tsafe LGA by the protesters, but due to timely intervention of our troops, they could not achieve their aim.

“The troops also arrested one of the protesters, an identified CJTF with a Dane gun. The suspect and the exhibit have been handed over to the police for further interrogation.

“Indeed, no life was lost and no recorded injuries, it is, therefore, preposterous for anyone to allege shooting at the protesters by the troops of the Nigerian Army. Normalcy has since been restored in the affected areas. We enjoin the general public to disregard and ignore such unfounded allegation as it is not true.

“Consequently, we call on the management (of the online medium, names withtheld) to retract the unfounded allegations and tender an unreserved apology to the Armed Forces of Nigeria and, indeed, the Nigerian public for the misleading publication.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria wishes to further advise citizens, journalists to show some level of responsibility by always cross-checking facts of the story before posting such information on their websites.

“Once again, the Ministry of Defence wants to assure all Nigerians that the Armed Forces of Nigeria will continue to discharge its constitutional roles, irrespective of attempts by some unpatriotic elements to distract it.”

Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday flayed President Muhammadu Buhari over Monday’s killings of innocent Nigerians in Zamfara State by marauders.

The party also lamented the invasion of Kukareta in Damaturu, Yobe State, by insurgents who sacked the area in an attack that led to the killing of a police officer attached to the state governor, Ibrahim Gaidam.

The PDP in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, expressed deep worry, saying it shared in the anguish of the victims and relations of the victims who daily live with the devastating trauma of the escalated bloodletting and killing of their loved ones by marauders still roaming the area, “inspite of the propaganda and lip service by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.”

The party said the ugly situation in the country was an undisputed testimony of the failure of President Buhari’s administration to provide adequate security for Nigerians, especially in the troubled states, despite his promises as well as the huge resources at his disposal to tackle insurgency.

The statement read: “The PDP holds that the situation in Zamfara and other states in the North-West, in addition to the heightened insecurity in the North-East and North-Central in the last three and half years under President Buhari, shows that it is time for our dear President to review his parade and reappraise his strategy.

“Indeed, our nation cannot continue to afford the daily killing and maiming of our compatriots by marauders. This is not the way to go, and we charge President Buhari to end his buck-passing and immediately take up his responsibility as the chief security officer of our country by using the remaining days left in his tenure to address his parade.

“In the same vein, the PDP commends our patriotic security agents who are placed on harm’s way for their gallantry as they take concrete steps to defend our citizens at this trying time.”

While commiserating with the people, the PDP, however, called for calm and full cooperation with security agencies to track down and bring the killers to justice.

On food security, the party said:  “President Buhari has confessed to his inability to deliver on the basic responsibility of government which is security of lives.”

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