By: Abdullahi Inuwa
The Emir of Gusau and Chairman Zamfara state Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Muhammad Ahmad CON, has debunked media reports alleging that he was misquoted on the origin and proliferation of banditry and criminality in Zamfara State.
Ahmad made the clarification in an interview with newsmen on Friday, stressing that the reports were taken out of context, misrepresented facts and cited an old media parley or function on farmers/herdsmen conflict.
He explained that his comments on the grouping of vigilantes among farmers, popularly called _“Yan Sakai” and Fulani herdsmen inviting their colleagues from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and other countries was never a true account of his remarks as at the event on herdsmen/farmers conflict at that time.
However, Emir insisted that the said joint forces from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic there was nowhere such interviews were conducted.
” The attention of Zamfara Council of Chiefs was drawn to the false publication circulated by some section of the media.
” The writer may have attended a parley or function quoting former Chairman of Miyatti Allah, Alhaji Bello, where he traced origins of Heardsmen/Farmers conflict, where he (Bello) merely said invitations were extended to Fulanis in Mali, Niger and Niger Republic.
” It was glaring misquotation of facts and wrongful attributions, I urged media to avoid such false publication and engage on fair and professional journalism, such not to jeopardise the relationship between traditional rulers, authorities and neighboring countries,” Ahmad said.
According to him, quoting such an old media content and attributing it to the present-day banditry activities was purely malicious and a distortion of facts.
He further explained that only a small portion of the old function activity was used, instead of publishing it in full with the date of the occasion which is necessary for proper understanding.
The Emir stressed that the present security challenges are completely different from the period of the old interview, as the issue has metamorphosed into kidnapping for ransom, killings and cattle rustling.
He said previously, farmers were aggrieved when herdsmen grazed on their farmlands, while herdsmen’s animals were attacked or killed, leading to retaliatory conflicts that prompted herdsmen to invite their colleagues from other countries.
Ahmad said the two notions are completely different and incomparable, adding that attributing such an interview to present-day security challenges may jeopardize proper understanding, distort facts and misrepresent realities.
“I urge media outlets to immediately drop the story to safeguard people’s understanding and ensure peaceful existence.
“People ought to support government and other authorities’ efforts to end the menace, rather than showcasing an old interview as relevant to the present time,” he said
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