By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo
KADUNA — Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu Shinkafi, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State and National President of the African Youth in Conflict Resolution and Prevention, has sounded a distress alarm over the escalating security crisis in Zamfara, describing the situation as “catastrophic” and tantamount to “genocide.”
In a no-holds-barred interview, Shinkafi accused Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration of failing to address the relentless killings and kidnappings plaguing the state. He said the people of Zamfara feel abandoned and unprotected in the face of unending violence by armed bandits.
“Out of the 14 local government areas in Zamfara, only Gusau is under any semblance of government control,” he claimed. “The rest are in the hands of bandit leaders.”
Shinkafi lamented that the state government has become unresponsive to constructive criticism and unwilling to engage with stakeholders genuinely concerned about the security and well-being of the people.
“There is no government in Zamfara as far as security is concerned,” he said. “The situation is no longer acceptable to human rights activists and organisations in Northern Nigeria. I speak on their behalf — and we call on the Federal Government to act fast.”
Dr. Shinkafi warned that if immediate and decisive steps are not taken, he and fellow rights advocates will mobilise mass protests and formally petition the Federal Government. He described the current situation as dire, recalling how about 60 peasant farmers were kidnapped and held for over three months, despite the governor’s promise to restore security within two weeks of assuming office.
“Our people are being killed every day,” he declared. “This is a massacre. It is genocide. We cannot fold our arms while our state is being destroyed.”
He called on the Zamfara State Government to collaborate more closely with the Federal Government and the Ministry of Defence, and to provide actionable intelligence to support military efforts against the bandits.
“The President should know that the highest number of votes he got came from Zamfara. Now those voters are being killed and abandoned,” he said. “There is no difference between us and the people in Gaza.”
Shinkafi further recounted the desperation of local communities, citing a tragic case in which villagers sold their farmlands to raise N30 million for ransom, only for the kidnapped victims to be executed.
“This is eating deep into our hearts. We will no longer tolerate it. It is unacceptable,” he said.
While commending Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, and Senator Abdulaziz Yari for their humanitarian support to displaced persons, Shinkafi stressed that relief alone is not enough to halt the bloodshed.
He disclosed that an enlarged meeting of human rights organisations across northern Nigeria has been scheduled for next week to deliberate on a unified response to the worsening humanitarian disaster in Zamfara.
“The time for action is now,” Shinkafi said. “We will continue to agitate until lives and property in Zamfara are protected and secured.”
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