The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State has backed the recent directives by Governor Bello Matawalle advising the citizens of the state to purchase guns and defend themselves against the incessant attacks by terrorists.

A statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris Gusau on Sunday noted that the party “is hundred per cent in support of governor Bello Matawalle’s new measures.”

According to the statement, “we aware that the new measures will end banditry and ensure that the success of the policies and programmes of the government at the rural communities will be vigorously implemented.

“And if success is achieved, people can now go back to their villages and sleep with their two eyes closed.”

However, on the recent statement by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to discredit the new measures, the party stated that “it is a known fact that PDP in the state is not happy with the new measures put in place because it has truncated their evil plans to use insecurity as a weapon of the campaign.

The statement opined that with the new directives, it was now clear that PDP is not only destabilized but it has sent a clear signal that APC remains the party to beat in the coming 2023 elections.

“We also condemned the recent outpour of the opposition PDP Secretary in Zamfara, Faruk Ahmed Rijiya as published in the Punch newspaper. It goes to show the mindless way the PDP feels over the havoc being perpetrated by bandits and other criminals operating in the northwest region and particularly in Zamfara where the criminals have made their hub and killing fields.

“As it is, the PDP Secretary cannot go to his home village of Rijiya which had suffered severely in the hands of the bandits and to tell his people not to support the state government because he knows he cannot come back alive from the community’s anger.

“We urged all the citizens of the state to support the government in order to end this menace.

“Matawalle has exhausted all available avenues to fight bandits and banditry in Zamfara, from reconciliation to peace accord, to mobilizing resources and equipment to security agents, to getting more deployment of security personnel to mobilizing neighbouring states and even the neighbouring Niger Republic but the menace seemed unabating.” (Sunday Tribune)

Update news