The National chairman, Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi has alleged that, the banditry activities that have defied solution in Zamfara state despite Governor Bello Matawalle’s Peace initiative is as a result of the sabotage from members of the opposite APC who he accused of fueling banditry in order to divert people’s attention in order to cover their shoddy deals.
Shinkafi spoke on many issues bordering insecurity challenges including the N57 million he said was allegedly given to bandits who abducted the GSS Jangebe Schoolgirls by some politicians who wanted the innocent girls not to be released. He made many revelations in a press conference with some selected journalists in his house in Gusau. Analyzer news was there and reported as follows:
Gentlemen of the Press, Assalamu alaikum. I call you to throw more lights in respect of the security situation in Zamfara state in particular and the entire country in general.
I made similar Press conference in my hometown Shinkafi few days ago where I made mention that some desperate politicians from another political party offered N57 million to the armed bandits who kidnapped the innocent schoolgirls of Government Secondary School Jangebe in Talata-Mafara local government area of the state, but the bandits rejected the offer to continue holding the girls in captivity.
Those who offered the N57m told the bandits that, they were the ones who would determine when the girls would be released. The reliable information I have gotten from those who went to the bandits camp and medicated with them told me that, they were given N57 million not to release the students but considering the negotiation process with Governor Matawalle, they refused to collect the money and at the end, they released the girls unconditionally and also sent a message to the Governor that, they are ready to lay down their arms and embrace the peace process.
So my question is that, which businessman can afford to give the sum of N57 million to the bandits?. What is he going to gain out of it? Because the essence of a business is to maximize profit. But everybody knows that, in APC, there are lots of desperate politicians who can give more than that amount to the bandits not to release the girls.
So if they have rejected the offer of N57 million, it means the peace process of Bello Matawalle really is working although there are saboteurs.
Since, the mediators have said this, we are calling on the goverment and the security agents to do a discreet investigation and find out whether there was an involvement of some politicians in this barbaric act.
It is on record that, the Vice chairman of the APC in charge of Zamfara Central Zone was one time at the camp of the bandits in his own local government area and snapped picturs with the bandits leader late Buharin Daji, where he was seen carrying AK 47 Rifle, he knows every hideouts of the bandits in his local government.
It is on record that, this Buharin Daji and many notorious bandits are from Maru local government area, the Vice chairman of APC in charge of Zamfara Central Zone, Alhaji Sani Gwamna is also from that local government area. It’s also on record that more than 5700 arms and ammunitions were recovered from bandits during Yari’s administration.
It is not Matawalle’s administration who started banditry in the state. He inherited the problem from the past administration of former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari and we all know that the rate of killings, and kidnappings have reduced to the bearest minimum during Matawalle’s administration.
The problem we are having today is as a result of the overzealousness of some desperate politicians who want to come back to power in 2023. They have forgotten that God gives power to whom he wants. It is a matter of destiny and whatever God has destined to happen, must happen no matter what.
God has said that today, Matawalle is the Governor of Zamfara state and if he wants him to continue beyond 2023, nobody can change that. No amount of intimidation, blackmail and what have you will change it.
I want to throw more lights on the issue of the kidnapped girls. Those who mediated are still alive and they are the source of my information. I called them, spoke with them and clarified this from them.
The grandfather of the leader of the repentant bandits who mediated is also alive. Let me tell you the fact, only N200.000 was given to the mediators to buy fuel and transport the girls from the forest and bring them back to Gusau.
They are actually the source of my information and when they came back, one of them called me and said, “Wambai, i understand that you are very close to the Governor, please and please, advise him to continue with the peace process.
“What we have seen is very difficult for the government to end banditry in the state without dialogue. Because we saw over 500 armed bandits with sophisticated weapons including rocket launchers and machine guns. So I am appealing to you to talk to the governor to go on with peace process. This people said If they given an opportunity, they are ready to come back and embrace peace”.
So you see, in any difficulty, there is a way out. It has been stated in the Holy Qur’an that for any difficulty there is ease. So may be this trial will come to and end because of the kidnap of these innocent girls.
What I am trying to inform our brothers in the APC in Zamfara state is that, the issue of insecurity in Zamfara is still fresh in our memory. Many people have been killed during the administration of former Governor Yari. What has he done?. We can all remember that there was a time when over 200 people were killed in only one village of Yargaladima.
It is on record that the former Governor Yari abused his Oath of office and allegiance as he failed to protect the lives and properties of the people of the state. And he even said that, he had resigned as Chief security Officer of the state but on monthly basis, he was collecting N350 million as security votes. If he had resigned, why was he collecting that amount?.
So he should calculate the number of months he had been collecting as the security votes funds and return the money to the state government. That is very important and if he has refused to do so, we can go to court to direct him to return the money.
The former SSG had also made pronouncement over the media that they spent over N35 billion on security during Yari’s administration but yet, throughout their tenure there was nothing to write home about in terms of security.
It is on record that, the immediate past administration of former Governor Yari had succeeded in turning our teeming youths into thugs, illiterates and also injected an artificial poverty.
The former Governor was not paying for WAEC and NECO fees as well as scholarship and yet they were claiming that they were fighting poverty during their time. Their children were sent to study abroad while the children of the poor masses were provided with phones to be writing inflammatory statements to pull down the goverment of Bello Matawalle because of their desperation to come back to power in 2023.
They have been claiming that Zamfara is an APC state but they failed to win election in Bakura by-election which took place in December last year.
We must comment the Administration of Governor Matawalle. Just last week, 10 kidnapped victims were rescued. They were in captivity for three months. They were released by the same bandits who kidnapped the innocent schoolgirls. They were released unconditionally because one of the schoolgirls told the Governor that she saw her father at the bandits’camp that was the reason why the Governor swung into action and secured their release.
The bandits had earlier demanded N10M million ransom when they kidnapped the 10 persons but now that the government has intervened, no Kobo was paid to the bandits. They even sent message to the Governor that they were ready for the peace process.
Let me tell the whole world that, Governor Matawalle has no option but to use dialogue, because he is not in total control of Police and the Military because they belong to the Federal Government. I for one is 100% in support of the peace initiative because the number of the bandits in Zamfara are ten times bigger than the security agents. Even if the federal government deploys more security and be given the most sophisticated weapons it will be very difficult to end banditry.
The former Governor is in the APC and a card carrying member of the party but it is on record that he had been attacking President Buhari for failing to fight banditry in Zamfara when he (Yari) was a Governor. So you see, these people are trying to play with our intelligence.
It is on record that the former Governor recruited 8500 vigilante group known as Yansakai without following due process, without even going to the State Assembly to enact a law for the establishment of the vigilante groups. They were killing people in markets, motor parks and anywhere and Yari didn’t take any measure to stop them from this barbaric act.
It was also on record that, during our committee’s investigation, it was discovered that, one vigilante group member singlehandedly killed 77 Fulani in Maradun local government area. So let us fear God the Almighty in all what we are doing. Let us understand that, the issue of power is temporal. We are here in this world as strangers and we are going back to the final destination because we will all one day die.
A lot of people have been calling me all names but I don’t mind. I have said my opinion and my mind. The reason why things have been going on like this is because of the injustice of the former EFCC Boss, Magu to the people of the state. More than three Petitions were sent to EFCC in respect of former Governor Yari during Magu’s tenure and over 169 people were invited by the EFCC in Sokoto Zonal office and they have conducted all investigations but Magu deliberately directed the Zonal office not to arraign the suspect.
We are calling on the present leadership of the EFCC under Abdurrashid Bawa to direct the Sokoto Zonal office arraign those who have been found wanting for money laundering, abuse of office, stealing of Public funds through fictitious Contracts, and contract inflation where over N200 billion was stolen. The total amount stolen through fictitious Contracts is over N900 billion.
This is very alarming and disturbing because these people have stolen our money and are now trying to cover their faces in shame.
So we now call on Mr President to direct immediate investigation and possible prosecution of former Governor Yari and anybody found wanting in stealing our money. This is what will bring peace, because, when you are fighting corruption, it will also fight back in all angy.
Don’t be surprised that, these APC members are trying to play diversionary tactics to divert the attention of the people of Zamfara state through fueling of this armed banditry so that we will forget about their shoddy deals.
Just recently, a Federal High Court in Abuja issued a final judgement that some money from Zamfara state Government were forfeited. Yet this Former Governor is walking freely in the street. Why should EFCC not prosecute this man? Why?
With this judgement, this man is supposed to go to prisons but because he is from APC, nobody is talking about it. Jolly Nyame is in prisons, Dariye is there. This is the problem we are having. I will make sure that I follow this judgement to the logical conclusion. I am going back to court to reinforce his arrest.
We shall also not forget that, all these notorious Yansakai were working with the former Commissioner for local governments. It is on record that during the former Commissioner for local governments, there were interception of some AK 47 rifles but we don’t know where these guns are kept. So what we are saying is that, we want the security agents to invite the former Commissioner for local governments to give inventory of all the guns he had collected.
