Connect with us

Politics

Poor men who marry more than one wife are producing recruits for bandits— Zamfara SSG

Published

on

Poor men who marry more than one wife are producing recruits for bandits— Zamfara SSG

The Secretary to the Government of Zamfara State, Abdullahi Shinkafi, has called on men in the state who do not have enough means to take care of a large family to avoid polygamy so as to put an end to the situation in which children produced under such circumstances are easily recruited by bandits.

He made the disclosure on Saturday in Gusau at a town hall meeting organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Shinkafi also revealed that banditry in Zamfara had claimed over 3,000 lives in the past few years.

He disclosed that the state government has spent about N17 billion in the past seven years to combat the menace.

The meeting was called to find a lasting solution to the insecurity in the state.

According Shinkafi, the banditry has resulted to the death of over 3,000 people, destruction of over 2,000 homes, burning of over 500 cars and kidnapping of over 500 people for ransom.

He said that the money was spent from 2011 to date, to procure vehicles for security agencies, pay allowances to security operatives, provide accommodation for soldiers of the 232 Battalion and other logistics.

“When you hear N17 billion, it sounds huge but when you break it down to the various components in tackling insecurity, you will see that it is not even enough.

“In 2011, we provided 457 vehicles for security agencies, in 2012, we provided 2,250 vehicles, in 2014, 77 vehicles and 50 vehicles each in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

“We also have to give funds to those affected by these attacks to at least help them in some way.”

Admonishing parents in the state to take proper care of their children, the SSG asked men not to marry more than one wife if they did not have the means.

Read also: So far, I have spent N17bn on security in Zamfara— Gov Yari

“When as parents you do not attend to your children, the bandits hijack them and recruit them to work for them. And as a man, you don’t have to marry four wives if you know you don’t have the means.”

He attributed the banditry to shortage of manpower in the state, stressing the need for more indigenes to show interest in joining the security services to protect the state.

The National President of the NBA, Abubakar Mahmoud, wondered why the federal government would allow the state to spend so much of its funds on security.

He argued that the sum would have been used to build infrastructure and grow the state’s economy, adding that security operations should be funded by the federal government and not the states.

He, however, noted the need for the Zamfara Government to show leadership in the fight against insecurity.

According to him, providing funds without being present to monitor how the funds are spent cannot not yield the desired results.

Mahmoud said the visit by the NBA was not political, but a move aimed at promoting peace, resolving the conflict and upholding the Nigerian Constitution.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now