Kebbi Banditry: Gov Matawalle Stops Troops from Going after Bandits Operating from Zamfara
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Governor Mohammed Bello Matawalle is alleged to be ‘aiding and abetting’ the marauding activities of armed banditry afflicting Kebbi State, PRNigeria gathered from a traditional leader.
The traditional chief of Chonoko in Kebbi, Alhaji Muhammad Damisa Dudu, in an interview with two PRNigeria reporters on an investigative sojourn to his community last Month, said Governor Matawalle has refused to cooperate with the Kebbi State Government in tackling criminal bandits, terrorizing the two States and other parts of the Northwest.
Alh. Damisa, who died of Asthmatic attacks two weeks after granting PRNigeria a video interview in his palace in Chonoko, noted that the Zamfara Governor has been preventing troops deployed to fight bandits in Kebbi from entering his State in the pursuits of the terrorists.
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PRNigeria had early published the first part of the report titled: “PHOTOS/VIDEO: Untold Story of IDPs after Bandits Killed over 200 People, sacked 42 Communities, Occupy Deserted Houses in Kebbi State.” https://prnigeria.com/2022/05/03/untold-story-bandits-kebbi/
In this second part of the report, the late Chonoko traditional leader had told PRNigeria that, Matawalle did not allow soldiers chasing bandits fleeing Kebbi to enter Zamfara State.
“I think the essence of the Nigerian military is to serve the entire States in Nigeria. They are not to serve Zamfara, Kebbi, Benin or Lagos alone. The military is to serve entire Nigeria as a nation,” he noted.
Damisa said that kidnapped residents of Chonoko and other parts of the state are taken to bandits’ dens in Zamfara for detention.
He also added that bandits terrorizing many Kebbi communities often launched their attacks from Zamfara.
He said: “On March 18, for instance, they abducted 12 ladies from the community. We had to pay N3milion to rescue our female children from Zamfara kidnappers’ dens.
“Chonoko people need help because the situation is beyond the control of the Kebbi State Government. In Chonoko, bandits have killed 203 people. Over 400 of our women are now widows.
“There was a time when members of my community decided to relocate to a neighbouring country. I quickly contacted some traditional rulers to calm their frayed nerves before they could shelve their plans.
This report is part of special investigative assignments of PRNigeria, produced with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation
By PRNigeria
