Zamfara state government has created Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to cater for the 700,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and others affected by banditry and attacks in the state.
Zamfara state Commissioner for Information, Hon. Ibrahim Dosara, who disclosed this in Kaduna on Sunday, said the ministry has established eight centers across the state and emergency relief desk officers in each of the 14 local government areas in the state to effectively address humanitarian crises arising from the acts of killings, kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling taking place in the state.
Dosara, who was flanked at the media briefing by the state Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, DIG Mamman Tsafe (rtd), the permanent secretary ministry of information and the Director Information Services said the Zamfara state government has appointed 4,200 Community Protective Guards (CPG) consisting of ex-servicemen and volunteered able bodied men, who have been trained and are supporting security agents in tackling banditry.
The Information Commissioner, who is optimistic of peace returning to Zamfara very soon, decried the activities of informants, conflict entrepreneurs and unscrupulous politicians, who he said, are detracting the battle against banditry for their parochial interests.
He said despite the security challenges, Zamfara state government is working, children are attending school and infrastructural development is ongoing in the state.
“The saboteurs and unscrupulous persons consist of politicians, some bad eggs among the press, social media handlers and conflict entrepreneurs who supply guns and ammunitions, food, alcohol, drugs and others to the bandits from which they make huge sums of money.
“Zamfara state government is battling with informants, politicians using press to engage in fake news and fabrication to divert government attention and make people believe there is no peace in Zamfara state and conflict entrepreneurs who make money from the conflicts. Peace would soon return to Zamfara state. The Northern part of Zamfara state is almost free of mayhem, the Southern part is where we are battling with them but very soon we shall overcome.
“Our children are back in school, we ordered schools to run shifts and even recruited 100 teachers for extra curricular teaching to make up for the time lost. Tertiary institutions are also back in school even the College of Agriculture, Bakura where the bandits abducted some students, thet have resumed back. Peace is gradually returning to Zamfara state,” he said.
Responding to questions, Zamfara state Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, DIG Mamman Tsafe (rtd), said the state is doing everything possible to resolve the insecurity, adding that repentant bandits are being accepted and reintegrated back in the society.
“The suluhu (dialogue) syndrome is part of the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction. We followed the suluhu but met with some antagonists. But the bandits who accepted our suluhu (dialogue) and join us would be fully reintegrated. We have them room and assurance to come to us that we are ready to accept them, work with them and integrate them back into the society,” he said.
