Zamfara Govt Disarms Vigilantes, Puts Trust In Bandits Over ‘Ceasefire Agreement’

The Zamfara State government seems to be overwhelmed with the unending banditry claiming and displacing its residents as it orders brazen vigilantes to stop confronting terrorists wreaking havoc in the state.

Hasan Muhammad Nasiha, the state’s deputy governor disclosed this on Wednesday during a visit to Anka, Bukuyum, and Gummi Emirate Councils.

He noted that the state government has succeeded in having a dialogue with leaders of various terror gangs and they have agreed to coexist peacefully with residents from affected areas.

READ: Police Rescue 24 Kidnap Victims, Recovers 7 Motorcycles In Zamfara

According to him, they agreed with the terrorists a permanent cease-fire against residents. To ensure the agreement goes well, the state government said it will disarm the vigilante groups confronting the gunmen and revoke all licences to hold guns granted to state residents.

A few weeks ago, the state government distributed 500 gun license forms to all the emirate councils in the state. Further, the government urged resident to pick the forms and own firearms to confront bandits.

WikkiTimes understands the approach was not productive as bandits have gone crazier in the last few days, kidnapping and killing many residents of the state.

IDPs Should Return To Their Homes?

Despite unabated attacks by gunmen who inflict terror on unsuspecting locals, the Zamfara State government said Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) should return to their various homes following a peace dialogue it claimed to have had with terror leaders.

“From today henceforth, every IDP should return home within the period of one to two weeks and resume normal life,” the deputy governor said.

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He added that they had also agreed that all traditional rulers will surrender all farmlands, cattle routes, streams and settlements belonging to Fulani ethnic clans.

READ: Boko Haram: 466 Surrendered, Dozen Killed In Two Weeks

IDPs Disagrees

However, some displaced residents told HumAngle, a digital platform in Abuja that reconciliation with the armed groups is not wise decision. They argued that the move to return IDPs to their homes is dangerous.

Alhaji Bala, a resident of Gasahula said: “how can we return to our respective villages when we know that the armed marauders are still there in our villages.”

Another displaced resident from Gadar-Zaima in Bukuyum said his community have had a series of reconciliations with the armed groups, yet it still witnessed repeated attacks. “They [terrorists] are not to be trusted,” the source who spoke under anonymity condition, said.

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