Again, Zamfara Villagers Block Sokoto-Gusau Road Over Bandits’ Attack

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According to a report by The PUNCH, the people of Garmar Hannu Village of Maru Local Government Area in Zamfara State have on Thursday blocked Sokoto-Gusau Road, protesting against persistent killings of their people by bandits.

Sokoto-Gusau Road is the most busiest road in the state as it links Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states to other parts of the country including Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt.

The villagers who were mostly women and children blocked the road near Tashar Abu in Bungudu Local Government Area of the state, refusing to allow motorists to pass through.

Recall that the people of Bingi Village of Maru Local Government had last week staged similar demonstration on the same road.

Our reporter who was at the scene discovered that there was a very long queue of vehicles with hundreds of people were left stranded.

The security personnel sent to the place to secure the road could not disperse the angry protesters until some bandits on motorcycles carrying guns approached the place.

The security personnel, the protesters and motorists (including our reporter) ran helterskelter to safety.

An indigene of the area, Umar Yusuf told The PUNCH that they had no alternative than to come out and protest, since they could not get any help against banditry.

Yusuf said, ”The people of Galmar Hannu Village are being killed and kidnapped on daily basis, as such, they resorted to demonstration in order to attract the state government’s attention”.

Another indigene of the area, Aliyu Isa said, “Government must come to our aid and send security personnel to give us protection because the people of Bingi Village who staged similar demonstration last week were given security now.”

A passenger who called himself Ayomide Adeyemo said he was coming from Lagos going to Anka town. He lamented that he was left stranded for several hours.

“I have been stranded here because the villagers have refused to allow us to move on the road,” he said.

Another passenger, Mr. James Ayobami also said that he was traveling to Anka town from Lagos for telecommunication service in the town.

Ayobami said he and his colleagues were sent from Lagos by their company to work in Anka town, the headquarters of Anka Local Government Area in the state. Lamenting, he said ” the villagers have wasted much of our time.

“I have been here for several hours and I don’t know what to do next. I didn’t know much about the insecurity situation in Zamfara State otherwise, I wouldn’t have been here.”

Efforts to get the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Mohammed, to talk failed as he did not answer the calls to his phone.