From Maiharaji Altine
Residents of Unguwar Yargaladima village of Maru local government area in Zamfara state have confirmed the claim by Minister of State Defence, Bello Mattawalle that the Lakurawa bandits did not exist in the state.
Recall that, two bombs exploded along Gusau-Dansadau road at two different times, killing a driver and some passengers where the state’s police commissioner Mohammed Shehu attributed the calamity to Lakurawa bandits.
However, in a telephone conversation, one of the people of the area who gave his name as Idris Garba said, the claim by the police commissioner was false.
Garba maintained that, the recent explosive attacks have nothing to do with the Lakurawa bandits.
He said, a notorious bandits’ leader Dogo Gide was responsible for the explosives.
He explained that, the bandits leader Dogo Gide has been trying to attack the Unguwar Yargaladima village to avenge the killing of one of the bandits kingpin called Sani Black who was recently killed by the people of the village.
He said that, the bandits had made several attempts to attack the residents of the village but couldn’t succeed.
“They have been planning to come to this village for a reprisal attack but because we are also prepared for them, they could not accomplish their mission”.
“Suddenly we learned that, they were coming in large number to attack us, as such, we alerted the security personnel who also told us that they would come and protect us”.
“An informant within the community also alerted the bandits who also planted explosive devices on the road with the aim of killing the security agents”.
“This was what exactly happened but I am telling you that we know most of them”.
“None of them belong to Lakurawa bandits as testified by Matawalle “.
“Look, these people have been here several years ago. Many of them belonged to the group of the dreaded bandits leader late Buharin Daji who was killed by one of his boys Dogo Gide”.
“Like I said, Lukurawa bandits are foreigners from Niger and Mali Republics and they look differently from our Fulani bandits here in Zamfara”.
Another resident of the area, Sani Musa also refuted the claim by the the Defence Minister.
Sani said, the bandits who planned to launch an attack on Unguwar Yargaladima village were Fulani bandits who were mostly indigenous people of the area.
“We know most of them. They planted explosive devices on the road to prevent the security personnel from coming to the village to give us protection”.
According to him, the bandits had wanted to attack unguwar Yargaladima village in order to avenge the killing of their leader Sani Black who was killed by vigilante group of the village.
Musa said, “The bandits had wanted to launch a reprisal attack on our community because, we have killed their leader Sani Black”.
“On getting this information, we informed the military personnel about it and requested them to come to our aid”.
“Unfortunately, the bandits also got information from an informant within the community that the military were on their way to our village on a rescue mission”.
“The bandits who wanted to get rid of the military personnel, planted an explosive on a bridge along the road”.
“A commercial bus driver who was traveling on the road got his vehicle blown off by the explosive where he also lost his life”.
Musa further explained that, the bandits who were in hundreds tried to move to the village not knowing that, the explosive they had planted on the road had exploded.
He said, as the bandits were about to arrive the village, the military personnel had already mobilized and laid an ambush near the road.
“Immediately the military personnel sighted the bandits, they opened fire, killing many of them”.
“They are not Lukurawa bandits I repeat”. Concluded Sani.
A community leader within the area who sought for anonymity told The PUNCH that, it was the bandits who have been terrorizing the people of the state and not Lakurawa.
He stressed that, most of the bandits were indigenes of the state, adding that, “They were born and the bred in the state”.
“The issue of Lakurawa does not arise and they have never been to Zamfara state”.
“Our problem is banditry and those terrorists are the people of the area although there are few of them who came from other countries”.
“Lakurawa are identifiable by their dresses and physics as well as their way of operation”.
“They are making laws for the people of the area and are the judges who punish the wrongdoers”.
“So, it is not true for anybody to say that the Lakurawa bandits are here in Zamfara state”. He concluded.
