Zamfara Exonerates State Guards Over Islamic Scholar’s Murder

By Sunday Isuwa, Abuja And Umar Mohammed, Gusau

Zamfara State government has absolved community protection guards of killing an Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Mada.

The government pointed accusing fingers at members of the vigilante group as 10 suspects were said to have been arrested in connection with the incident.

In a statement issued yesterday by the spokesperson of the governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, he said the suspects apprehended by the authorities were members of the vigilante group and not members of the state’s Community Protection Guards (CPG) as it is being speculated.

Idris said the vigilantes were not authorised by the state government to carry out any form of security operations as they were not part of the Community Protection Guards.

He said, “Zamfara State government has received the heart-wrenching news of the extrajudicial murder of Sheikh Abubakar Hassan Mada in Mada Town. It is indeed an unfortunate incident that could have been prevented.

“The security operatives have successfully apprehended all suspected vigilantes behind this heinous crime.

“The Zamfara State government has taken this matter seriously and is committed to ensuring that all the culprits behind this unfortunate murder are brought to book. Every effort will be put in place to ensure justice is served without compromise.’’

He went on to clarify that the suspected vigilantes behind the extrajudicial murder were not in any way related to the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards.

“The Community Protection Guards, a local community-based security outfit, was established to protect communities and not terrorize people in the state.

“This clarification is expected to put to rest the confusion that arose over the identity of the arrested culprits behind the extrajudicial murder. We will never compromise on the protection of the lives and properties of the people.

“We want to inform the public that the Zamfara Community Protection Guards has a modus operandi which prevents them from engaging in an operation without the guidance of relevant security operatives.

According to him, preliminary investigation conducted by the police revealed that one of the arrested vigilantes was a former student of the murdered Sheikh.

“This information can help the authorities better understand the situation and take appropriate actions.

“Zamfara State government will share the outcome of the police investigation with the public once it concludes. During this trying time, we sympathise with Sheikh Abubakar Hassan Mada’s family and the entire community. May his soul rest in peace,” he said.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa, has condemned the killing of Mada in Mada Town.

He said community leaders and credible witnesses said the cleric was killed on Tuesday at 7pm a few metres away from Mada Town.

Last month, Alhaji Magaji Lawali, an associate of Senator Marafa, was reportedly killed by members of the CPG. The dust over the killing of Lawali is yet to settle as his family members are seeking a probe.

Marafa, in a statement yesterday, described the act as the peak of inhumanity against fellow human beings, as he called for a thorough probe.

Marafa, who represented Zamfara Central Senatorial District (2011 -2019), condoled the immediate family of the slain cleric, the Jama’atu izalatul Bidi’a (Jibwis) national leader Alhaji Bala Lau and their followers

He said, “I call on the Zamfara State government to come out clean on these atrocities that are being committed by the members of the Community Protection Guards (CPG).

“If they are not acting the script of the state government to wipe out members of the opposition party, the state government should as a matter of urgency arrest and commence an open, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to the brutal murder of Alh Magaji Lawali and now Imam Abubakar Hassan Mada.”

According to him, when the government launched the CPG, they all rallied around it in order to address the challenges of insecurity facing the state.

“But in recent times, it seems the security outfit was put together for a reason other than to tackle the insecurity in our beloved state. One after the other, the guards are going after innocent citizens in the state. Their offence is that they belong to another political party. This is not acceptable,” he said.