The Council Chairman of Bukkuyum Local Government Area in Zamfara State, Abubakar Umar-Faru, says no fewer than 1,060 people have been killed in the council while about ₦2.9 billion in ransom was paid to bandits from 2015 to date.
Umar-Faru disclosed this to the newsmen lamenting that the rising insecurity in the area have displaced residents and affected agricultural along with other economic activities in the area.
The Council Chairman, while speaking with maintained that all 17 districts under Bukkuyum have suffered immeasurable attacks by armed bandits as locals were forced to pay ransom for their daily living.
He further lamented that, as a result of the prevailing insecurity, farmers have continued to record losses, adding that no farmer was able to cultivate farmland in the area in 2025.
According to him, records gathered from the 17 districts of the council show that armed bandits have continued to have a field day, engaging in abductions, kidnappings for ransom, cattle rustling and the ransacking of villages.
“From the records I gathered and compiled in each of the 17 districts in my local government, from 2015 to date, we have lost 1,065 people who were killed by bandits, paid over ₦2.9 billion as ransom for kidnapped victims and levies forcibly imposed on our villages and communities.
“From 2015 to date, armed bandits have rustled 84,928 cows, 52,423 goats and 187 camels across the 17 districts of Bukkuyum Local Government.”
The chairman reiterated that Gando Forest has remained a major bandits’ den, harbouring criminal activities, stressing that the forest requires decisive military action.
Umar-Faru Faru further lamented that the escalation of armed banditry has led to the abduction of over 200 people from the Bukkuyum area, including women and children, who are still in captivity.
He called on the Federal Government to launch an offensive against bandits operating in the area and in Gando Forest.
He lauded the recent appointment of Christopher Musa as Minister of Defence by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, expressing hope that it would help to intensify efforts towards ending insecurity in the area.
The chairman maintained that while the Zamfara State Government and local authorities were making efforts within their constitutional limits, they lacked direct control over federal security agencies.
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