Banditry: Zamfara recruits 4,200 guards, says over 700,000 IDPs seeking refuge

Zamfara State Government has declared that there are over 700,000 (seven hundred thousand) Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as a result of banditry activities in the State.

This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Information, Hon. Ibrahim Magaji Dosara during a joint press conference with the State Commissioner for Security and Internal Affairs, DIG Mamman Tsafe in Kaduna.

According to him, the government had established a Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, with eight centres across the State, in order to take care of the IDPs.

“Each of the 14 local government areas of the State currently has emergency relief desk officers shouldering the responsibilities of assisting the IDPs in their respective local government,” he explained.

Dosara further stated that the government and the international donor agencies had provided food items, clothing, bed, mattresses to address the hardship being faced by the IDPs.

“These donor agencies complement the efforts of the State government through cash transfer to our IDPs, ranging from N30,000 to N40,000, periodically.

“The Federal Government also has been committing huge sum in this regard. The Zamfara State government remains grateful to all who contribute to relieving the worries of these innocent people across the State,” he stated.

Reacting on the security challenges facing the State, Hon. Dosara noted that the government had recruited over four thousand two hundred residents as Community Protection Guards.

“Thee protection guards comprises our ex-service men, volunteer able-bodied men and other patriotic citizens with have the love of the State at heart,” he said.

On the peace efforts with bandits, he noted that following the initial dialogue with the bandits, as well as the peace reconciliation efforts, there was relative peace as the majority of the bandits succumbed to the peace process.

However, he said the few who turned down the request of the government to down arms were the ones who have become thorns in the flesh of residents.