Mr. Celestine Okoye, the Zamfara state Commissioner of Police, said
on Wednesday that the main reason for persistent terror attacks in the
state was due to reprisal attacks between Fulani and Hausa people.
The state police boss disclosed this at a one-day stakeholders’ forum
in Gusau with the theme: “the prevention and management of mass
atrocities in Zamfara state” which was organised by Centre For Community
Excellence (CENCEX) in collaboration with Open Society Initiative for
West Africa (OSIWA)
Okoye added that tribalism, nepotism and sectionalism have been
identified as the main cause militating against peace and harmony in the
state, saying that these three factors have been igniting fire that is
trying to consume the entire northwest state.
“Sometimes, if the blood thirsty Fulani people unleash terror attacks
on some Hausa communities, the Hausa people would be forced to
retaliate and the Fulani people would again go for reprisal attacks,”
the police boss said.
The commissioner noted that tribalism, nepotism and sectionalism have
to be stopped permanently, stressing that everybody is aware of how
many thousands of innocent lives tribalism, nepotism and sectionalism
have wasted in the country.
Okoye, who was represented by his Assistant in charge of Operations,
ACP Muhammad Lawal said that nobody is above the law of the land,
pointing out that the command has concluded all necessary arrangements
to carry war to the den of the armed bandits and kidnappers in the
state.
“We are working in synergy with other sister security agencies to
ensure that we repel any activities of the notorious armed bandits and
kidnappers,” he said, adding that the security operatives would do every
thing within their power to burst their syndicate.
The police commissioner urged traditional leaders, religious leaders
and community based leaders to join forces with the security agencies to
uproot the ugly situation, by educating their subjects for effective
positive change.
In his own speech, the vice chairman of Tsafe local government area
of Zamfara state, Hon. Aliyu Yanusa Danjibga explained that over 7,000
people mainly women and children have been rendered homeless since 2011
as a result of armed banditry in the local government area of the state.
He urged security agencies, including the military, to redouble their efforts and return the state to normalcy.