Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara has revealed that a total of 2,385 people were killed by armed bandits in the state from 2011 to date.
The governor made the disclosure on Monday in Gusau at the opening of a Special Town Hall Meeting on Security organised by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Information.
He also said that more than 6,000 people were injured during the period, with 25,000 cows stolen by the bandits.
Yari added that the activities of the bandits during the period led to the destruction of over 3,000 hectares of arable land, over 600 shops and 336 vehicles.
“Thousands of people were displaced from their towns and villages with hundreds of others kidnapped by the bandits who charged millions of naira as ransom,” he added.
Yari, however, said that the formation of reconciliation committees by the state government had helped to contain the situation, leading to the recovery of over 3,000 assorted arms from some of the bandits that embraced peace.
The governor who described the Zamfara killings as higher in number to those in Plateau, Benue and Taraba states, urged the Federal Government for more action to end the killings.
According to the governor, the killings in Zamfara are pure cases of criminality.
He commended the ongoing joint security operations in the state, saying it had brought about stability in most villages hitherto terrorised by the bandits.
In his speech, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed said the security situation in the state has improved drastically since the commencement of the joint security operation.
The minister chided the media for allegedly under reporting the efforts being made to restore peace and stability in the state in the same manner the killings were reported.
He commended the Zamfara government for its support to the efforts being made to enhance peace in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a video containing pictorial situation of the crisis was shown to the guests and a copy of the clip handed over to the Information Minister.
Ministers of Defence, Mansur Danali; Environment, Usman Jibrin; Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu;Budget (state) Zainab Ahmed, and Industry (state), Aisha Abubakar attended the event. (NAN)
