Zamfara: N100m ransom placed on kidnapped ex- councillor, 7 others

No fewer than 8 people, including a former councillor, were kidnapped in Nahuche village, Bungudu local government area of Zamfara state by suspected gangs of armed bandits.
An eye witness who identified himself as Malam Sani Ibrahim Nahuche, and spoke to Blueprint yesterday in Gusau, said the bandits besieged the town at around 2:00am yesterday looking for the house of APC chairman of Bungudu local government area of Zamfara state, Alhaji Hamisu Coordinator.
But in a mistaken identity, the hoodlums stormed the residence of Coordinator’s neighbour, Alhaji Ibrahim Sanko and kidnapped his six children, including two girls and four boys.
Our reporter further gathered that during the operations, the bandits also kidnapped a former councillor in the local government, Bello Dan’iya, and later released the eldest son of Alhaji Ibrahim Sanko.
He said the bandits had already placed a N100 million ransom on the victims to effect their release.
“The bandits, when they came into our village, they are more than 100 and began shooting sporadically into the air, asking ‘where is the house of APC chairman of Bungudu local government, Alhaji Hamisu Coordinator, show us the house or be killed,” Nahuche recalled.
He then appealed to both the state and federal governments to, as a matter of urgency come to their aids by deploying more troops to save them from the armed bandits.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Muhammad Shehu, confirmed the incident, disclosing that already the command had dispatched rescue and arrest team under the Gusau area command, in collaboration with Divisional Police Officer in the local government area, for an extensive bush combing to rescue the victims and arrest the perpetrators.
Trend worries governorship aspirant Meanwhile, an ex-banker and community leader, Dr Dauda Lawal Dare, has pledged to arrest the prevailing security challenges in the state and restore its glory, if given the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress at its primaries scheduled for tomorrow.
The aspirant, who is the Gamjin Gusau told reporters in Abuja at the weekend that his passion for the job is rooted in his desire to address the festering security challenges, occasioned by armed banditry in the state.
“It is a sad narrative that hundreds of people are being killed almost daily in Zamfara state; they follow you, cut off their hands and put into their pocket.
And no one is ready to take responsibility to restore confidence in the people.
This is unacceptable.
“Over 85 per cent of the people of Zamfara are Muslims; we speak the same language but there are no economic activities to take them off the streets and engage them in viable, alternative ventures,” Dauda said.
He pledged to address the ugly scenario through what he called “engagement model,” where the youths and other stakeholders will be fully provided with what to do, using job creation and empowerment opportunities, adding that idleness was responsible for the irresponsible killings and maiming in the state.
He regretted that Gusau, which used to be second only to Kano in the entire North in terms of economic viability, has today been reduced to a ghost of its former self, promising that he would restore the glory and fast track development, using his track record in the banking sector.
He said if given the APC ticket, he would not only lead the party to victory, but would ensure that Zamfara’s lost values are restored for the overall wellbeing of the people.
He promised to work with the people to bring about the desired development, saying the quest to develop Zamfara state is a collective project.
“As an individual, I carry people along in whatever I do.
It is not about fighting this or that, or supremacy over this or that, it is about collective responsibility,” he assured.
Dauda promised not rubbish the past governors whom he said had done their own bit in terms of governance, adding that “it’s high time they started thinking of other individuals who also have something significant, some contributions to make within the state.” He further said part of what made him to actually seek the office was the youth, adding that they had seen his little contribution to society, most especially, in the area of education.
Asked to state his blueprint if he emerges governor, the youthful Dauda disclosed that his development direction would be anchored on security, functional education, health, employment generation, revival of the economy and agriculture which he said is the mainstay of Zamfara state.
He also pledged to be sensitive to the plight of the women and children and be fair to all views, irrespective of religious or sectional divide.
Lawal, with over 25 years experience in the banking sector, obtained a B.Sc.
in Political Science and M.SC in Political Science and International Relations from the Ahmadu Bello University before further developing himself by taking courses at prestigious universities, including the London School of Economics, Harvard Business School, Oxford University Business School and Lagos Business School among others.

Leave a Reply