The Zamfara State Government says it has intercepted vehicles conveying food, drinks and fuel to various bandit camps in the state.

The government said it had also arrested no fewer than 100 violators of Governor Bello Matawalle’s executive order to restore law and order in the state.

Secretary of the state special task force on security, Abdulrasheed Haruna, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Wednesday.

Mr Matawalle had established the task force to enforce measures to address the lingering security challenges of mass kidnapping for ransom and cattle rustling by gunmen facing the state.

The governor had on August 26, signed an executive order in line with the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

Mr Haruna told NAN that the suspected collaborators were handed over to security agencies for further investigation while those with light offences were being tried by a mobile court established by the taskforce.

According to him, the closure of weekly markets and filling stations by the government had curtailed supplies of food and other essential services to the bandits.

“We believe that these have forced the bandits to relocate en masse from the state,” he said.

Mr Haruna further said the taskforce had set up 11 subcommittees to monitor and ensure total compliance to all elements as contained in the executive order.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, has announced additional measures by the state government to tighten the leakages giving lifeline to the bandits.

Mr Dosara said the additional measures were taken based on intelligence obtained by the state government and security agencies.

“The state government has closed down, Yargaya Market of Tudunwada area in Gusau, Kaura Namoda-Jibiya Junction, Lambar Bakura Junction, Colony-Rini Junction and Mayar-Anka Junction,” he said.

The commissioner further said security agencies were directed to take total control of all the affected areas with immediate effect “and the state taskforce will monitor to ensure compliance”.

According to him, the troops led by Lieutenant-General Faruku Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff, who had since relocated to the North-West region had been combing the forests and bandit enclaves.

He said the military had recorded huge successes which details would be made available in due course.

Meanwhile, commercial activities in the state were halted following the disconnection of telecommunication networks by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

The disconnection had also affected banking services including Point of Sales (POS) services and internet cafe services among other businesses in the state. 

(NAN)