Abdulaziz Yari, a former Zamfara State Governor has accused illegal gold miners over the spate of banditry and other forms of insecurity that the state grappled to address over the years.
Data released by TheCable Index shows that in Q1 of 2022, about 1743 persons were reportedly killed in Nigeria, Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna states lead the casualty figure. Similarly, thousands of people were abducted and millions of naira collected in ransom by suspected bandits.
Yari said this in an interview with State House Journalists shortly after meeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“When I was there, I didn’t believe that the issue of mining was one of the problems, but when I got out, I began to look at it, attending so many lectures because the people that are causing the trouble, I want you to look at it and study carefully the relationship between the mining and insecurities.
“I can tell you that the issues of mining and insecurity may have a relationship and I believe the president is doing his best because he has started talking with the National Security Adviser on the issue of the insecurity and the many progress has been achieved from. I think it’s been one month, now in the Shinkafi area and part of Zurmi and now they are working on part of Anka and Chaffe, which I used to get the brief from my colleague who is the chairman, security in the Senate”, said Yari.
Yari who was a two-time Zamfara governor said there are indications that sanity is gradually returning to gold-rich communities of the state.
