The former national scribe of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Zamfara State deputy chairman of the committee on finding a lasting solution to insurgency in the state, Dr. Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has disclosed that bandits are suffering from serious hunger and starvation.
Dr. Shinkafi explained that the bandits can no longer afford food to feed their kidnap victims, saying that the bandits now have no other option than to release their captives freely without collecting ransom as nobody was willing to pay.
“The notorious bandits are gradually shifting from the state due to hunger and starvation. You can see that since the state government implemented the stiffer security measures, banditry activities have reduced drastically,” he added.
Shinkafi disclosed this during an interview with newsmen in Gusau, the state capital, pointing out that security agencies in the state, in collaboration with the state government, have been tackling the bandits.
“There were eleven kidnapped victims of them but the bandits released only one person demanding the sum of N200,000 each. Before negotiation started, they demanded N20 million per person.
“When the relatives of the victims failed to respond, they decided to release them. They said they don’t have food to feed them that some have started dying in captivity.
“That in fact has shown that the security measures is yielding beneficial results as they are now facing a hard time in the forests. The continuation of these security measures will definitely assist in wiping them out of the state,” he said.
According to him, with the blockage of telecommunication networks in the state, bandits wrote letters to the people of Shinkafi and the acting Emir of Zurmi, using receipts of their purchased motorcycles to demand ransom for kidnapped victims.
Dr. Shinkafi further confirmed that the task force on security in the state has traced the address of the motorcycle company in Kano State and arrests have been made.
