The chairman of Zamfara State Council of Chiefs and Emir of Anka , Alhaji Attahiru Mohammed Ahmad has appealed to the state government to allow people of the state to carry arms and defend themselves against banditry. Attahiru who paid a condolence visit to the Emir of Kaura-Namoda attacked by bandits last week said, “Since the bandits refused to surrender, the government should allow everyone to carry weapons for self-defence.”
He said that the peace accord and reconciliation process initiated by Governor Bello Matawalle would not end banditry in the state because the bandits would never give up. “One cannot make peace with people who are not ready to embrace peace and reconciliation as initiated by the government”, he added. According to him no single individual in this world is above the power of the government unless the government does not want to act. He also urged governments at all levels to give the security operatives the chance to deal with the bandits, stressing that security operatives could handle the situation if given the chance and weapons.
The Emir lamented that so far many Emirs in the country have been subjected to a series of attacks by bandits. “Last year, the Emir of Potiskum was attacked. Here in Zamfara, Emir of Bukkuyum was also attacked and his orderly was killed in the process and the Emir of Yauri”, he stressed. “So, the only option is to allow people depend themselves, because the issue is getting out of control and there is no hope in sight”, concluded Anka Emir
