The Chairman of Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Abubakar Umar Faru, has sounded the alarm over what he described as the growing takeover of Gando Forest by armed bandits, warning that the area has become a major hub for criminal gangs terrorising communities across the state.
Faru disclosed that the forest now harbours bandits relocating from neighbouring states, a development he said has worsened insecurity in Bukkuyum and surrounding areas.
Speaking to DCL Hausa, the council chairman revealed that over 200 residents, including women and children, have been abducted from communities in the local government since Monday and are believed to be held captive inside the forest.
He said security agencies had been provided with precise coordinates of the bandits’ camps, but the lack of adequate military equipment has stalled decisive action against the criminals.
“I personally gave them all the coordinates that would allow them to finish these people once and for all, but they don’t have the weapons to take the fight to them”
According to him, Gando Forest has turned into a safe haven for armed groups who previously operated in parts of Katsina State and Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, where peace agreements had been reached before the bandits moved into Zamfara.
“The forest has now become a harbour for armed bandits who brokered peace elsewhere and later relocated to Zamfara to establish camps”
While acknowledging the efforts of security personnel deployed to the area, Faru maintained that banditry would persist unless the fight was taken directly to the criminals’ hideouts.
The council boss added that the Zamfara State Government and local authorities were doing all they could within their constitutional powers but stressed that only the Federal Government can authorise and adequately equip the military for a full-scale operation to reclaim the forest from bandits.
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