No fewer than 22,000 women have been turned widows, owing to the activities of bandits in Zamfara State.
The men were killed by bandits that have besieged the state for years and whose activities have been said to have also produced 44,000 orphans.
National President, Arewa Youth Forum, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, in a statement, explained that the aftermath of the killings was an “estimated conservative figure of forty-four thousand (44,000) orphans at an average of four (4) children to a deceased person.”
He advised the Federal Government to swing into action and end the killings urgently.
He said, “It is worrisome that the present situation of incessant and barbaric killings, maimings, kidnapping for ransom, rape, cattle rustling and wanton destruction of property and economic livelihood assets by devilish forces of evil and bloodthirsty insurgents has reached an unimaginable and horrendous proportion in a region which was hitherto peaceful and calm, called Northern Nigeria.
“In fact, hardly a day passes without such incidents occurring. Of great disturbance equally, is the fact that the lives of Nigerians in towns and villages within the zone are now completely at the mercy of armed marauding bandits, wreaking havoc at will which is negatively affecting the socio-economic activities of locals, in spite of the intervention of security agencies.”
The Arewa leader added, “Therefore, in view of this state of affairs and pursuant to Arewa Youth Forum’s Conflict Mitigation and Peace Building (CMPB) Project, we undertook deep and holistic research aimed at finding out the root causes of the persistent security challenge, with a view to finding a lasting and sustainable solution.
“Our preliminary findings showed that within eight (8) dark years only of Banditry in Zamfara State, a conservative figure of about eleven thousand (11,000) adult males that were bread-winners of their families were killed, leaving behind an estimated conservative figure of about twenty-two thousand (22,000) widows (with at least two 2 wives to a person), and in another alarming breath, an estimated conservative figure of forty-four thousand (44,000) orphans at an average of four (4) children to a deceased person. A very conservative estimate indeed for this figure could be double or triple of this.
“It is worthy to note that in terms of frequency and the alarming casualty ratio, Zamfara State is ahead of many states in the country that experience security challenges, but alas, receives less prominence in terms of attention from mainstream media in terms of objective clarion call reporting, and most importantly, Federal Government’s attention based on recognition and intervention.
“Therefore, to complement the ongoing process of security operations across-board, there is a need for an urgent and strategic solution, which is to target one of the key breeding grounds of banditry in the North-West, Zamfara State, and give it the required attention it deserves.”
The group said the orphaned children, owing to their dire situation of pain, trauma, depression, lack of care, hunger, abject poverty-stricken life, and the helplessness of their widowed mothers, among others, would, undoubtedly, become easy prey and willing tools in the hands of criminal elements that would pay them a pittance and recruit them.
“Unfortunately, due to their huge number, these recruited orphans that become bandits due to hopelessness in life, have added to the number of these marauding criminal elements. Hence, banditry has now spread into neighbouring states sharing borders with Zamfara State namely: Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, and now, Nasarawa State,” it said.
“We must therefore realise, in view of the reasons adduced above that their number is vastly growing by the day. Hence, we are indeed sitting on a Volcano of humanitarian and security challenges brewing and about to erupt with a looming consequence. God forbid! The time to act is now,” it declared.
