Thread by @A_Salkida

Zamfara in the last 7 days:
One of the most brazen acts of insensitivity towards the citizenry by politicians was displayed in #Zamfara state on Sunday, 10, February, 2019 by President Muhammadu Buhari at a political rally ahead of the presidential election.

Muhammadu Buhari, a candidate of the ruling party, APC, and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of #Nigeria did not convey words of sympathy towards the citizens over the unceasing banditry and killings going on in the state for some years, at yesterday's rally in Gusau.

No acknowledgement, no condolences, no empathy for the millions of the people who have been marooned at their hour of greatest need by the government they elected. Many who showed up at the rally were angry, they expected president to assure them of a future that is safe.

Barely 24 hours after the president left Gusau, this morning, the bandits called a resident in Bakenwa village, 30klm from Gusau, threatening to wipe out the village. The call came through the following phone number: 0811401... They threatened to burn down another village, Mada.

Placing a call to the number through which the Communities were threatened, this reporter spoke with a villager who declared that the activities of vigilantes in those villages may have made them enemies of the bandits. Equally the bandits made no attempt to switch off the phone.

The bandits often call villagers demanding ransom. Failure to meet with such demands normally attracted sweeping violence and killings. The villagers repeatedly complain: "The authorities rarely come to our aid," said dozens that spoke to this reporter in the past weeks.

At 5pm on Thursday, 7th February heavily armed men invaded Unguwar Gyauro village in Tsafe LGA on motorbikes. The vigilantes faced the invading bandits and were able to push them back. Soldiers have also killed scores of the bandits, but they don't seem to go away.

At Batanwarka, Bukkuyum LGA, the villagers were not so lucky. Gunmen invaded, killing 14 persons on Friday, 8 Feb. Same day, gunmen opened fire on motorists plying the Anka/#Bagega road. Here, the casualty figure is conflicting, but not less than a dozen persons were kidnapped.

On Monday, 4 February, #Zamfara buried 16 persons, including the sister to Senator Marafa that were killed in Tudun Wadar Maijatau, Takoka and Ruwan Bore villages. 7 soldiers were also killed in an armed bush by the bandits around the same period in Maru Local Govt in Zamfara.

The bandits are undeterred in their killing campaigns. I've so far collected 5 phone numbers used by the bandits/terrorists in the area. Surprisingly, 3 of the phone numbers are active as of today, the terrorists seem unintimidated by the ongoing security operatns in the state.