Zamfara emirs demand brutal action against bandits

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that the abduction of the schoolgirls of Government Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, would be the last in the country.

His assurance was delivered yesterday by Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika who led a Federal Government’s delegation on a sympathy visit to Zamfara.

"President Muhammadu Buhari has recently rejigged the security architecture of the country and that the situation would be brought under controlled," he said

Responding, Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle urged synergy among the security agencies.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs also paid a sympathy to Matawalle ad demanded brutal action against bandits.

Matawalle had granted amnesty to a number of repentant bandits and had called on his colleagues to adopt dialogue as a way of tackling the security challenges being witnessed in parts of the country.

But the leader of the delegation and chairman of the state council of chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad, described armed bandits as wicked and cowards.

He said since the bandits had no regards for the sanctity of human lives, “their heinous crimes should trigger quick and brutal response by the security operatives.”

Attahiru also said the Federal Government was to blame for banditry because the security operatives were being controlled at the centre.

Matawalle said bandits that had subscribed to the peace dialogue initiated by the state government had been working in the past two days for the release of the abducted Jangebe schoolgirls.

According to the governor, this is not the time to trade blames and accusations; rather, it is time to ensure that the abducted girls are released and united with their families safely.

"I feel highly honoured by the visit. It’s sad to note that no politician in the state has sympathized with us yet on this trying time. Together, we shall overcome the tribulation and trial," he said.

It was not clear whether the over 300 students kidnapped last Friday from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Marafa Local Government Area of Zamfara State, were released yesterday.

A top government official told Daily Trust yesterday that the students had been released and were on their way to Gusau, capital of Zamfara.

However, the government later denied that the schoolgirls had been released, saying negotiations were ongoing.