From Maiharaji Altine, Gusau
The National President, APC Rescue Mission, Alhaji Bello Soja Bakyasuwa Maradun has called on the appropriate authorities to investigate the Speaker of the Zamfara state House of Assembly for the alleged killing of two people in Jangebe town when the rescued schoolgirls of Government Secondary School Jangebe were being taken to their parents.
Addressing journalists in Gusau, Bakyasuwa said, “The Speaker, Honourable Nasiru Muazu Magarya should be investigated for allegedly giving directive for the shooting of Jangebe protesters which led to the killing of two persons”.
“He should be investigated for the alleged killing of one Nasiru Jangebe and Mustafa Sani, while Hassan Yusuf was discharged from hospital with a wounded leg caused by a live bullet”.
He said, “You are all aware that, a day after the release of the students, the state government mandated the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Nasiru to carry out the handing over of the students to their parents at Jangebe”.
According to Bakyasuwa, the handing over of the students was disrupted by angry residents of Jangebe town who were protesting against the state government’s failure to protect them against banditry activities.
Bakyasuwa said, “while the Speaker was delivering his speech some parents forced their way into the hall and started picking their children who they had patiently waited for”.
He said, “The Speaker and his entourage, while making their way out of the hall, ran into the crowd of the protesters and without second thought, he (the Speaker) reluctantly allowed his security details to open fire on the protesters, leading to the death of two people”.
“On this note, I wish to call on the security agencies to thoroughly investigate this murder and bring the Speaker to justice, otherwise we will be forced to take legal action against him”.
Bakyasuwa lamented that, when the students were rescued, Governor Bello Matawalle could not even wait to hand over the students to their parents.
“Instead, he left the state a day after their release and directed the Speaker not even his Deputy to take the children to Jangebe”.
“This is not what we saw in Katsina state when Kankara students were released”.
“They were taken by the commandant of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Wara Idris, unlike our own girls who not even police commissioner was part of the entourage who took them to Jangebe”.
He maintained however that, it was not surprising to them, stressing that, “Governor Matawalle did not value the efforts of the security agents in the release of the girls”.
“You all know that, the Governor in a live televised reception shortly after the students arrived Gusau Government House, he told the world that, the girls were released following the intervention of the repentant bandits who brought the girls to him”.
“For God’s sake, how can a Chief Security officer of the state not recognize the efforts of his security Chiefs in maintaining peace? Concluded Bakyasuwa.
But in s sharp reaction, the Public Relation Officer to Zamfara state House of Assembly, Alhaji Mustafa Jafaru Kaura said, the APC members were raising these allegations because they were not happy that the abducted schoolgirls were rescued and returned to their school.
Addressing a press conference, Mustafa said, “Let me put the records straight that, this is a frivolous allegation. It is unsubstantiated, unfounded, baseless and it is of no effect”.
He said that, the Speaker has no such power to issue directive to the security agents to shoot.
“The Speaker is neither the Governor of the state, nor the President of this country. These are the only people that have been mandated by the law to give an order of shoot at sight”.
“The Speaker is not one of these categories of people and in the eyes of the law, he has no power to authorize the security agents to shoot”.
“Let me put record straight, the Speaker was being targeted by some people in Jangebe to unleash mayhem and terror on him Just for political reasons”.
“He was targeted and we have the facts. All the windscreens of his convoy were smashed and damaged. The security agents had to burgle him out of Jangebe town. So, he didn’t give directive to any security officer in Jangebe to shoot anybody”.
Mustafa stressed that, it was very unfortunate for any APC member in the state to raise such frivolous allegation regarding the state government on this issue, explaining that, “Throughout the trial moment of those schoolgirls, no APC member had either sympathized with the students and their families or visited Jangebe town to console with the people of the area”.
“So probably, they don’t have anything to say, that is why, they resorted to making all these frivolous allegations. And we have the facts”.
“If Bakyasuwa and who so ever failed to substantiate and prove to the world about this allegation, we have our own facts”.
“So as goverment, we will allow the law to take its full course against who so ever made such allegations. Because this is a sensitive security issue”.
“They have been politicizing the issue of security all along in the state and they have come to the worse now by making this allegation against the Honourable Speaker”.
“When we came to Jangebe town, we met the commissioner of Police and other security Chiefs. Even you the pressmen were there. You have seen what happened in Jangebe”.
“It was not something that was done in confidential. It was opened, people were there. We were given some clothes and other materials to the students provided by the Sole Administrator of Talata-mafara local government when the parents just moved into the hall and took away their children”.
“So at that time, who would give such a command when all our windscreens were smashed as we were being stoned by those we alleged to be APC members?”.
“We alleged that, the APC members were responsible for whatever happened in Jangebe and since three weeks ago, nobody said anything”.
“The Speaker, being a leader cannot just come out and start joining issues with the opposition party in the state but now that they have come out to make these frivolous allegations, they must come out to substantiate the allegations or definitely, the law will take its course”. Concluded Mustafa.
