The Zamfara State government has sought the continued support of the residents in the fight against banditry, even in the face of the stringent measures announced recently.
In a statement on Monday, the Commissioner for Information in Zamfara, Ibrahim Dosara, explained that the recent measures were put in place to check the activities of bandits in the state.
“The government deemed it necessary to take these measures in view of the values it attaches to human lives and the property of the citizenry,” he said. “The actions are taken not with any intention of hurting the general public, but to examine the validity or otherwise, of the theories suggested in ending the conflict.
“The government is not unaware of the pains the people are going through as a result of this decision but is also mindful of its basic functions of protecting the lives and property of the people.
“The general public is, therefore, invited to join hands with the government in this latest derive to find permanent solutions to the lingering security facing the state.”
Dosara also called on all the people to join hands together to fight the monsters called bandits, stressing that the measures were to curtail the worsening security challenges in the state.
According to him, the government undertook extensive and intensive consultations with critical stakeholders, including the Presidency, top security chiefs, politicians, royal fathers, ulamas, and top government functionaries, with a view to coming up with workable lasting solutions to the security challenges.
The commissioner added the government announced the measures after a careful study and selection of an urgent plan of action from the wide range of suggestions by the critical stakeholders, and in consideration of the present security situation in Zamfara.
He, however, asked those he described as conflict entrepreneurs and politicians working to destabilise the peaceful co-existence of the people to desist from such nefarious actions.
Among the measures announced by the government, last Friday was the restriction of fuel sales to the state capital and the headquarters of the local government areas of the state.
It also disallowed the sale of fuel in jerry cans in all filling stations, banned roadside fuel purchases (popularly known as black market), and suspended all weekly markets across the state.
But the government stated that normal market activities of buying and selling for local consumptions were exempted from the ban.
