By Muhammadu Sabiu
Residents living in the Mada district of the Gusau Local Government Area, Zamfara State, have lamented that gunmen operating in the area have now taken complete control of the region.
According to available information, the district’s residents had abandoned their communities as a result of the men of the underworld’s relentless terror strikes.
A source states that numerous peasants have set up camp along the route between Kotorkoshi and Mada town as refugees after the robbers defeated the security personnel.
“We have not taken our baths for some days now because the notorious bandits have hijacked the entire area as they have overpowered the security operatives.
“As I am talking to you now, I don’t know the whereabouts of my two wives and children and I don’t know whether they have been kidnapped or they escaped to another area.
“We have no other means of livelihood except farming but we have been banned from our farming activities by bandits. The only wife and children with me now have entered Kotorkoshi village to beg for food for us to survive,” a resident identified as Mallan Ibrahim Mada was quoted as saying.
Recall that the Zamfara State government through its commissioner of information, Hon. Ibrahim Magaji Dosara and that of Security and Internal Affairs confirmed that Mada district has been witnessing incessant terror attacks.
This forced the government to close all the markets and gas stations in the affected areas due to the increasing frequency of banditry operations in the axis.
“The State government is aware of the plight of the people due to banditry activities bedevilling the entire area; we, therefore, decided to shut down all the markets and filling stations to reduce the incessant terror attacks in the axis.
The incessant attacks appear to be one of the reasons the Matawalle-led administration seeks the Federal Government’s approval to legalise the use of firearms by residents of the affected communities.
The commissioner said, “We engaged the Federal Government into dialogue so that it can approve our request for everyone that is qualified to be carrying weapons for self-defense to reduce the tension.”
