Zamfara State Government says it is fully committed to the protection of lives and properties of all law-abiding residents of the state.

The information commissioner, Ibrahim Dosara, stated on Wednesday that the essence of any government was to provide adequate security for the lives and properties of the citizens.

“Governor Bello Matawalle has been ensuring that there is such security, but only for the people who have chosen to be law-abiding and peaceful.

”He has never relented in his efforts in this direction and that was why he has curtailed insecurity in Zamfara State.

”That was why, at a time, for close to nine, 10 months, there were zero-case of insecurity across the state.

”This feat was on until some saboteurs, conflict entrepreneurs and politicians that work in synergy to sabotage efforts in various ways, struck.

”Yet, the governor did not relent as he gave the recalcitrant bandits who refused to embrace peace an ultimatum or face the music,” he explained.

Mr Dosara asserted that the measures introduced by the state government had greatly helped in boosting efforts to restore lasting peace and security to the state.

He said some of the measures included shutting down telecom services and markets, closure of petrol stations, especially in remote communities; and the banning of motorcycles.

The commissioner said that many successes were recorded following these measures, including the cutting off of informants who supplied information to the bandits.

“They could not attack.

”In the same vein, their logistics supplies were cut off. They were cut off from society and they could not operate.

”Many of them fled to other parts of Nigeria as they suffered an acute lack of food, alcohol, drugs, weapons and other needs.

”Therefore, they began to take raw food from the farmers, as they were in serious need of cooked food in areas they attacked,” he said.

Mr Dosara said there was a reduction in the cases of attacks by bandits, kidnapping and cattle rustling.

He said that farmers in the state were able to go to their farms and harvest their farm produce.

“Many of the bandits have been neutralised. 

“This was due to the sustained fervent prayers of the ulamas and the communities,” he stated.

Mr Dosara said the state government restored communication services in Gusau metropolis, to alleviate the suffering of the people.

He disclosed that the state government was pondering reopening the Gusau livestock market on the condition that there would be no security infractions.

“The governor recently approved the conditional re-opening of nine weekly markets across the state to ease the suffering of the people,” Mr Dosara added.