▪︎Names community leaders who took N6.6m ransom to bandits after trekking for three days inside bush
Dan Aji community in Faskari local government area of Katsina State has disagreed with the claims by Zamfara State Governor Alhaji Bello Mutawalle that 26 of its abducted young women were rescued by his government.
Zamfara state commissioner on security and home affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, had handed over the 26 abducted girls from Katsina state whom he alleged were rescued by the state government under its peace deal with the bandits.
Dauran alleged that the kidnapped girls were released without paying any ransom to the abductors.
But in a quick reaction to his claim, a community leader in Dan Aji village where the women were abducted,the Alhaji Lawal Dogara, told journalists that the Zamfara government’s angle that the girls were freely released was not true.
He said his community had to pay a ransom of N6.6 million before the girls were released by the bandits.
”Zamfara governor should stop taking credit for the release of our abducted girls. We paid for their release.
“It was two of our community leaders, Alhaji Abdulkarim Dan Aji and Liman Babangida Dan Aji that took the ransom to the bandits after trekking for three days inside the bush,” Dogara said.
He noted that the women were abducted on 13 October, 2020 during an attack on their village that was sharing border with Zamfara state.
While receiving the rescued girls in Katsina, Governor Aminu Bello Masari said he had given condition for peace with the bandits.
According to the Governor, part of the conditions included handing in their arms and showing genuine commitment that they are truly ready for peace.
He said the girls would be reunited with their families in Dan Aji village in Faskari local government area.
The governor also reiterated its stand not to negotiate with any bandits who are declared wanted by the state and in the North West region of the country.
He noted that the bandits were hardened criminals, adding that the state government had a bitter experience with the miscreants from the beginning from 2016 to date.
“We cannot allow a situation where somebody mastermind the killing of over 68 people and that person should go free under whatever guise, we will not accept it.
“We must draw a line, bandits and banditry, we are not against peace, but our condition is that, the bandits should first negotiate with their neighbours.
“The people they are harassing, killing, Kidnapping, maiming and stealing their property, followed by the security agencies that are executing the fight against banditry, then, if there is anything the LGAs, states and Federal governments will do, we shall do.”
The governor assured stakeholders that governments at all levels were ready to “do whatever it takes to make sure that peace is restored within the localities and Communities and where the Federal Government has to come in, they would also be urged to do the needful.”
“To secure our communities is a task that we must do and must be done”, he asserted, adding that, “to ensure this task, government has decided to amend the Local Government act to provide for village and district security councils in addition to the LG security council.”
“It is our responsibility as government to secure lives and property, honour, dignity of our people. That is the purpose of governance. We are determined to go all the way to make sure that is done,” he added.
Masari, however, appreciated his Zamfara State counterpart for the safe return of the rescued young women, praying Allah to reward the government and the people of Zamfara state abundantly.
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