Bandits attacked the PDP congress which was held on Monday 27th December, 2021 in Zamfara, causing several injuries and destroying properties belonging to members of the party; a day before, bandits also attacked several communities in Zamfara, where they killed many and kidnapped several women and children.
During the Peoples Democratic Party congress, which was held at the Samaru area of Gusau on Monday 27th December, 2021, bandits suspected to be political thugs attacked the venue and disrupted the proceedings.
The assailants were reported to have begun beating and stoning members of the party, and also vandalizing chairs, vehicles and election materials belonging to party members.
“We had scheduled our state congress to hold today to enable us to elect the new state executive officers to run the affairs of the party in Zamfara State, we have notified all the relevant security agencies in the state for smooth conduct of the exercise but to our dismay, these thugs came and started throwing stones on our members.” Said Musa Garba, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Sources say the bandits also visited the party’s secretariat opposite the Zamfara State Ministry of Finance, they tore down the flags, attempted to burn and pull down the building, but security agents were able to stop them.
The congress relocated to the Nigerian Army Facility, also referred to as the Command Guest House, located at the State Capital in Gusau.
Congress will go on as planned- Deputy Governor
Umar Aminu, Personal Secretary to the Deputy Governor, stated that the actions of the assailants would not intimidate the members of the party. He stated that the congress will go on as scheduled. Umar Aminu also stated that while the assailants were yet to be identified, the security agencies would certainly conduct a thorough investigation into the attack.
Bandits lay waste Zamfara settlements
In related news, on Sunday 26th December, 2021, bandits were reported to have invaded several communities in Zamfara. Ten people were confirmed dead and thirty three were kidnap across several communities in Zamfara.
The communities which were confirmed to have been affected are Bayawuri, Tsakuwa, Doma, Kura, Gana, Geba, Gidan Kaura and Gidan Kasa in Gusau and Bungundu local government areas.
One of the residents stated that the invaders abducted 10 women in Kura, 9 at Bayawuri, 7 in the village of Gana and also kidnapped 7 in Duma.
Reports state that the assailants rode in on motorcycles on Sunday, set fire to several shops and houses, and made away with considerable quantities of food items and property belonging to inhabitants of those communities.
It was also stated that there was no security response during the cause of the attack. The suspect were said to have fled to Gusau, the state capital for safety.
Ibrahim Dosara, the Commissioner for information, stated that security agents did arrive on the scene shortly after the attack to calm the situation.
He denounced the reports that stated security agents did not visit the affected communities, and stated that soldiers went to Geba to disperse the bandits.
The police urged people to continue providing useful and timely information, and assured the people that they are committed to making all Zamfara Communities free from crime.