On Sunday in Gusau, Governor Dauda Lawal told Zamfara residents to continue to pray and seek divine intervention to end insecurity in the state.

Mr Lawal said this in a message at the opening of Zamfara’s 27th Qur’anic recitation competition.

Bandits kidnapped 100 men, women and children from Mutunji in Maru LGA on Friday. The bandits reportedly raided the community after the villagers failed to pay a N50 million protection levy they demanded.

Led by their kingpin, Damina, riding on motorbikes, the bandits surrounded the community after evening prayers on Friday.

“On behalf of the state government, I extend condolences to families of those who lost their lives recently due to insecurity. The state government is aware of the challenges faced by some communities in the state,” said the Zamfara governor.

Mr Lawal said his government had recruited operatives of Community Protection Guards, a local vigilance group, as part of measures to provide lasting solutions to insecurity in Zamfara.

“Since its inception, my administration has been making efforts to address security challenges bedevilling our communities. I am therefore appealing to people of the state to remain calm and continue to be patient,” added Mr Lawal. “I believe with the measures put in place, very soon the security challenges will become history by God’s grace.”

The governor commended the Qur’anic recitation committee for organising the annual event, noting that the recitation and memorisation of the holy book had a significant impact on promoting peace and stability.

He appealed to Muslims to always learn from the teachings of the Qur’an.

“The state government will continue to support Qur’anic competition to produce more Qur’anic reciters and memorisers,” the governor promised.

(NAN)