By SHEHU UMAR, Gusau

A former Zamfara senator Saidu Dansadau says bandits are scaling up attacks on Dansadau community to protest the suspension of Emir Hussaini Umar, accused on involvement in banditry.

Umar was suspended in June by the state government on grounds of involvement in banditry.

Dansadau, who represented Zamfara central from 1999 to 2007, told Daily Trust on phone that the spike in attacks on the community shows the suspended emir was complicit in the attacks and cattle rustling by bandits.

“The bandits are telling those they abducted that Dansadau town would not know peace until the emir is enthroned again. This clearly shows you that the decision by the authorities to remove the emir was right.

“The emir is complicit in what the armed bandits and cattle rustlers are doing, otherwise why would they be protesting against his removal. That confirms he is closely associated with them.

“The committee saddled with responsibility of investigating the emir should expedite action and submit their report to authorities.

“The Emir is now under house arrest; his telephones and paraphernalia of the offices were seized by the government. The government shouldn’t succumb to the intimidation by these criminals,” Dansadau said.

In June, Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle had announced the deposition of the Emir over alleged link with bandits and set up a committee headed by the Special Adviser to the governor on security DIG Ibrahim Mamman Tsafe (rtd), to investigate the activities of the emir.

Two weeks later, the government also suspended another ruler, the emir of Zurmi, Atiku Muhammad, on similar grounds.

Twenty-four hours earlier, bandits abducted a nurse and a caregiver after invading General Hospital, Dansadau in Maru council area.

Residents told Daily Trust:

“When they couldn’t find anybody there, they starting going from one ward to another. A nurse and a caregiver were abducted. They then moved to staff quarters looking for doctors and nurses but could not find any.”

“The armed criminals had earlier attempted to attack Maigoge, a community located six kilometres north of Dansadau town.

Three days earlier, a man, Musa Na’umma, suspected of being an informant for bandits, set himself on fire after he was arrested by soldiers."

A credible source in Dansadau town told Daily Trust that soldiers onboard about 11 military vehicles had stormed the community with a list of about 30 suspected informants.

“When they came, they began moving from house to house with the list.”

On July 23, bandits killed seven vigilantes otherwise known as Yan Sakai and burnt an army vehicle in an attack on Dansadau.

Residents told Daily Trust that the armed criminals invaded the community around 3:am and went after selected targets.

They fired several shots in the air and then went into some houses and abducted 13 people, including women. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy Daily Trust)

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