The Zamfara State Government has vowed to intensify efforts to eliminate criminal networks operating in the state following the murder of 35 kidnapped villagers by terrorists.
The vow followed reports of the brutal killing of the villagers kidnapped from Banga in the Kaura-Namoda Local Government Area, allegedly over the failure of their families to pay a N35 million ransom demanded by the terrorists.
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According to reports, the victims were among 53 villagers abducted from Banga.
Sani Suleiman, a resident of the village, said the bandits had demanded N1 million for each captive and released only the 18 for whom the ransom was paid.
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He further claimed that the remaining 35 captives were “slaughtered one by one in the presence of those who were eventually freed.”
The report also alleged that Banga village was under the control of bandits, with an appeal for security personnel deployment to protect residents.
Ahmed Danmanga, Governor Dauda Lawal’s Special Adviser on Security Matters, confirmed the incident but said he did not know the number of those murdered.
He added that mobile police officers have been deployed to Banga, saying the state government is “handicapped due to an inadequate number of security personnel.”
In response to the tragedy, Governor Dauda Lawal, through the Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mahmud Dantawasa, extended “deepest condolences to the families and communities affected.” The Governor described the attack as “cowardly, desperate, and a sign that the terrorists are losing ground.”
Governor Lawal vowed to ensure that “every criminal involved in these atrocities is captured or neutralised.”
“Zamfara will no longer be your (terrorists’) hiding place and the full weight of law and force will crush every network of violence across our state,” he said.
The state government highlighted the accomplishments of security measures launched under Governor Lawal, including the “elimination of top commanders and their fighters in sustained clearance operations.”
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It also cited the provision of “hundreds of operational vehicles” to security agencies, including the Community Protection Guards (CPG), and “intensified security patrols” with a “new strategy focused on offensive operations to dismantle bandit hideouts permanently.”
The government urged citizens not to give in to fear, describing the attacks as “acts of desperation by criminals who know their end is near.”
Governor Lawal assured citizens that the state “will not surrender an inch of Zamfara to criminals. They will either repent or be eliminated. This is our pledge, and we will keep it.”
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