Friday, April 11, 2025 - The human rights coalition, Northern Citizens Alliance for Justice, NCAJ, has urged President Bola Tinubu, as a matter of urgency, to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara due to the persistent insecurity in the state.
The group also expressed deep concern over what it described
as a total breakdown of governance in the state, alleging the complicity of the
state government in illegal mining activities fueling criminality.
In a statement released in Kaduna on Friday, the group’s
president, Mallam Kabiru Sani Bako, said no serious intervention could take
place in the state unless power is taken out of the hands of political actors
currently benefiting from the crisis.
“What we are witnessing in Zamfara State is not governance.
What we are witnessing is organised abandonment of duty by those elected to
serve,” Bako said.
“The state has no functional House of Assembly, no political
will to stop the violence, and a growing body of allegations tying officials to
illegal mining. This is no longer politics — this is betrayal of the people.”
The group described the security situation in Zamfara as “a
slow-burning war that the country is ignoring at its own peril.”
Bako said residents in many parts of the state now pay
levies to bandits to farm or travel, while state actors continue to play
politics.
“In towns like Zurmi, Shinkafi, Anka and Bukkuyum, people
are no longer safe to attend school, visit markets or sleep with both eyes
closed.
“Women are being abducted, children recruited, and entire
communities taxed by non-state actors. And what is the government doing?
Trading blame and watching,” he said.
The group noted that the lack of a properly constituted
state assembly further reinforces the collapse of democracy.
“As we speak, Zamfara has no legally recognised House of
Assembly. Ten lawmakers were suspended for speaking out against the security
situation in the state.
“This means the state is being run without the checks and
balances that a democracy demands. It is a dictatorship of silence — and the
victims are poor citizens who deserve better,” Bako added.
The group also accused the state government of shielding
illegal miners, saying credible evidence suggests that proceeds from
unregulated mining operations are funding arms purchases by criminal gangs.
“The same hands that should be protecting Zamfara are
profiting from its destruction,” Bako said.
“The time has come for President Tinubu to step in — not
with rhetoric, but with constitutional force. We are calling for the
declaration of a state of emergency and the appointment of a non-partisan
administrator to take over the reins and rebuild institutions.
“If this is not done now, we risk allowing Zamfara to become
a permanent haven for terror cells. The country cannot afford to look away.
Lives are being lost daily. And governance has already left the room.”
NCAJ further disclosed that it would send a detailed dossier
to the National Assembly and the National Security Adviser in the coming days
to back its demand.
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