Residents of Zamfara State as well as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governors for holding a political meeting in the state on Saturday amid rising killings of innocent people by bandits.
They argued that the meeting smacked of “insensitivity and lack of empathy”.
Many local government areas in Zamfara had recently suffered repeated attacks by armed bandits, leaving many persons killed, others abducted and villages deserted.
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The PDP governors’ meeting, which was held in Gusau, was hosted by Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal. In attendance were the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of Bauchi State, Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Ademola Adeleke (Osun State).
They had earlier met in Asaba, Delta State Capital, in January and in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, in April.
Pictures and videos, which were circulated on the social media, showed the PDP governors wearing traditional gowns and turbans along with caps that matched the style.
Observers believe that these are formal and elegant clothes typically worn for important public events or celebrations, but the residents said it was an insult to them by the governors.
The PDP governors were sighted posed for photographs, smiling and exchanging banters; a manner that is akin to a political jamboree ahead of elections.
The PDP governors had, during their meeting in Gusau, commended the initiatives by the state government to “significantly” curb insecurity within the state, but condemned what they described as the continued monstrous killings in Katsina, Plateau, Niger and Benue States and other parts of the country.
They had also called on the federal government to be more responsive to the lives and properties of the citizenry.
Critics alleged that such formal dressing and cheerful posturing gave the impression of indifference or detachment from the suffering of ordinary people in Zamfara State.
It was gathered that the governors chartered a plane from Abuja and landed at the Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto, where they were said to be received by the deputy governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Mani Malam Mummuni.
Considering that the construction of airport in Zamfara has not been completed, the deputy governor was said to have led the governors to Gusau by road, accompanied by heavily armed soldiers.
“You know the road is not safe. So, the convoy has to move at a high speed,” a source told Daily Trust.
‘PDP govs have failed’
Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, a resident of Gusau, who gave his name as Abdullahi Ali, said the money spent on organising the PDP’s governors’ meeting should have been channelled towards assisting displaced persons and others severely affected by the insecurity.
“Some people feel that the money could have been used to assist those affected by insecurity—people who have no shelter or food to eat. There are also the sick among them who cannot afford medical treatment,” he said.
He also criticised the visiting governors for failing to visit affected communities or publicly acknowledge the severity of the crisis in Zamfara.
“Our governor should have taken them around so they could see the level of insecurity ravaging the state. Maybe then they would have shown some compassion and offered their support,” he added.
Another resident of Gusau, who gave her name as Jummai ‘Yar Malam, said: the way the visiting governors dressed showed “they are not concerned about the situation we are going through.
“Hundreds of women are now widows who are finding it difficult to feed their orphans…But then, look at what the governors are displaying. It is a shame indeed,” she said.
According to another resident, “the visiting governors praised our governor, but they did not even talk about the killings that are happening here. They condemned killings in other states, not ours”.
A resident of Kaura Namoda, Muhammad Ibrahim, said: “It is quite unfortunate. While our loved ones are being killed by bandits, the governors met in Gusau to strategise on how to win elections.
“Several villages have been under attacks across Kaura Namoda Local Government for the past one month and we have called on the government severally to help us, but the government has never come to our rescue.
“Unfortunately, during last Saturday’s by-election, a large number of security personnel were deployed to the local government. I learnt that apart from police and soldiers, the state government also deployed many personnel of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG) for an election that is held in just six out of the 11 wards in the local government.
“We are disappointed in the PDP governors. We expect them to put their heads together and find a lasting solution to the lingering banditry issue that has been disturbing us for years. All we need from them is to address this problem but they ignored us.”
Aminu Musa, another residents, said the PDP governors were expected to show their concern about the condition the people of Zamfara State and help Governor Dauda Lawal to address the insecurity “because it is the major problem affecting the state.”
Abdullahi Ibrahim, a resident of Kwalfada village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, said, “What surprises me most is how the governors managed to arrive at Gusau despite the security challenges facing the state.
“Everybody knows we don’t have any airport in Gusau, so they either came by road through the Kaduna-Funtua-Gusau Road or Sokoto-Gusau Road. And it is obvious both roads have their peculiar security challenges.
“If they take Kaduna-Funtua-Gusau Road, the distance between Funtua-Tsafe-Gusau is a death trap for travellers. In fact, from Funtua to Tsafe, a distance of about 50 kilometers has been tagged ‘Israel’ due to persistent banditry attacks. There are several places along the road where bandits operate frequently. Villages like Kucheri, Magazu, Tsafe, Kamfanin Mailafiya and Kwanar Sheme are known for frequent banditry attacks.
“If the governors came through Sokoto, that road is also not safe. There are several joints where the bandits operate frequently. So, if the governors could be provided with enough security to protect them, what stops the government from providing protection to other road users that are plying the roads for their legitimate businesses?
“The Zamfara state governor and his colleagues should also make similar arrangements for the deployment of enough security personnel along the Gusau-Sokoto Road to protect the lives of road users because they are Nigerian and their lives deserve to be protected by their leaders.”
One Hassan Idris Gusau yesterday wrote on his X (formerly Twitter): “I have no problem with your (PDP governors) party’s meeting, but I have a strong problem with the way and manner you are neglecting the plight of villagers whom are vastly affected by long lingering banditry…”
It’s trampling on scenes of mass murder–ADC
The ADC, in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the meeting as a jamboree, saying it was insensitive to the plight of those who recently lost their lives during the attacks launched by bandits on the various communities in the state.
It also condemned the killings in Zamfara and Malumfashi, Katsina State, and called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare a state of emergency in the two states.
It said the decision of PDP governors to hold their meeting in Zamfara, only few days after scores of innocent citizens were killed in the state, was insensitive.
The ADC alleged that instead of rallying around the governor of Zamfara to help stop killings in the state, the PDP governors chose to stage a political rally at the scene of mass murder.
“We condemn the decision of PDP Governors to hold their political meeting in Zamfara on Saturday, only a few days after scores of innocent citizens were slaughtered in that same state.
“Instead of the governors to rally around their beleaguered colleague to help stop the orgy of killings, they chose to stage a political rally at the scene of mass murder, even if it meant trampling on the memory of the victims.
“The photos of PDP governors in full ceremonial robes, grinning for the camera is totally out of place in an environment that still reeks of so much blood and sorrow.
“This act alone further underlines an important fact: neither the ruling APC nor the incurably afflicted PDP care about the people and their suffering. They only care about power and politics.” ADC said.
‘Collapsed security architecture’
The ADC described the recent killings as further proof of the collapse of Nigeria’s security architecture.
It linked the killings to a broader wave of terror in Katsina and Zamfara that had claimed over 140 lives in two months, and called on President Tinubu to stop “jet-setting across the world” and urgently declare a state of emergency in the affected states.
The party said it was also “outraged and concerned by the recent massacre in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State where 30 worshippers were shot dead in a mosque during dawn prayers, and 20 villagers were burned alive in their homes.”
The opposition party said the act epitomizes the horrors that Nigerians have been forced to endure under this administration, adding, it is a proof of the “total collapse of our national security architecture, which has prompted even the nation’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to ask citizens to learn how to defend themselves.”
ADC noted that the carnage in Katsina comes on the heels of the recent killings in Zamfara where 47 people were slaughtered, including 38 hostages murdered even after ransom was paid.
It stated “only this month, no fewer than 45 more Nigerians have been killed in Zamfara, with entire villages ransacked, and dozens abducted. Taken together, over 140 Nigerians have been murdered in just two months in Katsina and Zamfara alone.”
The party described the situation as disheartening, alleging that instead of confronting these urgent national tragedies with the seriousness that they demand, President Tinubu continues “to jet-set across the world, chasing photo-ops, while his people are dying in dozens at home.”
It said: “We wish to remind Mr. President that diplomacy abroad is meaningless if safety and security at home cannot be guaranteed.
“It is equally appalling to note that President Tinubu has not made a direct statement of condolence to family of victims or given the assurance of safety to those still alive. This negligence would have been unthinkable in those countries that the President loves to visit.
“ADC therefore calls for an immediate declaration of a State of Emergency in Katsina and Zamfara States until the government is able to stem the tide of bloodshed in those places and restore some order.
“We also call on President Tinubu and his government to embark on total re-evaluation of Nigeria’s national security architecture, which has already proven incapable of protecting lives and property. The recent call by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) for citizens to acquire self-defence skills is perhaps the most honest indicator yet that there is a need to rethink the entire internal defence system,” the party stated.
Zamfara meeting high sense of irresponsibility-APC
The Publicity Secretary of the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Yusuf Idris, yesterday alleged that the PDP governors’ meeting in Gusau was a high sense of irresponsibility.
“If not, how can the governors hold the meeting in Zamfara state amidst killings, kidnapping and attacks on innocent lives? The people of Zamfara expect the governors to discuss issues of insecurity, not politics.
“Just last week, 38 people were slaughtered like rams and about 200 others abducted by the bandits in Kaura Namoda local government of the state, yet, the governors met in Gusau to discuss politics.
“When I heard about their coming to Gusau, I thought they were coming to condole with the affected families, not knowing that they were coming to discuss politics.
“Their action has clearly indicated that the governors do not have any feelings about the lives of the innocent people that are being killed in the state by the bandits. Hundreds of villages have been attacked, several people killed and hundreds of others abducted across the 23 local governments of the state.
“The action of the PDP governors is condemnable in all terms; one, it has contradicted the teachings of our Islam. I shouldn’t expect the governors to converge on the Daular Usmaniyya and invite women to entertain them.
“Two, I shouldn’t expect the governors to converge on the state for a political meeting while dozens of people are being killed, several others kidnapped and many more were sleeping in the bush for fear of being attacked. Three, I expect the governors to go to Kaura Namoda and condole the people affected by the recent banditry attack.
“But unfortunately, the governors have not done any of the above. Rather they met inside the government house and invited women for entertainment. This is the highest level of irresponsibility and lack of concern to the people of Zamfara state who have been under banditry attacks for many years,” he stated.
Our meeting scheduled, say PDP governors
Reacting to the criticisms against their decision to meet in Gusau, the PDP Governors’ Forum told Daily Trust yesterday that the meeting was scheduled and not a spur of the moment.
They described the condemnation by the ADC as “an irresponsible attack”.
The Director-General of the PDP Governors Forum, Emmanuel Agbo, said the governors’ were piqued by the “irresponsible attack by the ADC with reference to its 2027/7th meeting on Saturday, in Gusau, capital of Zamfara State.”
He said the accusation that the governors was playing politics and trying to gain political capital with human lives was not their stock in trade “as is characteristic of the ADC.
“ADC should have done better by empathizing through a visit to the affected states than playing to the gallery.
“The meeting extensively deliberated on the state of the nation, the security situation amongst other critical issues of national interest and at the end of the day issues a communique that created time and space to comment on the state of insecurity and security reforms as follows;
“The Forum, particularly commends initiatives by the government of Zamfara State in significantly curbing insecurity within the state; but condemns the continued monstrous killings in Katsina, Plateau, Niger and Benue States and other parts of the country and calls on the federal government to be more responsive to the lives and properties of the citizenry”.
He said since the exit of the ADC members from the PDP, the latter had become much more formidable, “focused with clear determination to have our eyes on the ball.”
He said the security situation in the country was of grave concern to the PDP governors that it took centre stage in their deliberation and resolution as contained in the communique.