The Zamfara State Chapter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), under leadership of Alhaji Surajo Garba Maikatako, has registered its condolence, strong condemnation, and grief over the unrelenting savagery being visited upon the innocent people of Zamfara State by bloodthirsty bandits.

This was contained in a statement issued by the spokesman of the party in the State, Comrade Kassim Almustapha Kayatawa and made available to newsmen in Gusau the State capital.

“We are a people under siege. We are a people abandoned. And the latest litany of violence is not just a scar on the conscience of the nation, it is a gaping wound that bleeds afresh every single day”, he added.

“In Dansadau area, the situation has degenerated into absolute anarchy. Reports reaching the NDC secretariat indicate that armed bandits have embarked on a scorched-earth campaign of unprecedented cruelty”

“In a horrific display of impunity, 12 vehicles were set ablaze, reducing the livelihoods and properties of hardworking citizens to ashes. Furthermore, 3 villages have been completely deserted, their inhabitants forced to flee for their lives, leaving behind their ancestral homes, their farmlands, and their dignity”

“As if these were not enough, the imposition of an N50 million levy by these criminal elements on already impoverished communities is a declaration of sovereignty over our land a sovereignty that the State Government has seemingly ceded to terrorists”

“Let us be clear: when bandits can tax our people with impunity, the state has surrendered its authority. When they can burn villages without consequence, the rule of law has collapsed. This is not just a security failure; it is a complete and utter collapse of governance”

“Our hearts bleed further, as we recount the tragedy in Bukkuyum Local Government. According to the State House Member representing Bukkuyum, Honourable Hamisu A. Faru, bandits struck on the road between Gwashi and Nasarawa, leaving a trail of blood that included 14 innocent souls murdered, among them five gallant soldiers who were on duty protecting the innocent”

“Hon . Faru’s account that the corpses of the victims had not yet been fully recovered, paints a picture of a government that has lost control of its territory. Our security forces are being picked off one by one, and our people are being slaughtered like animals. The road to Gwashi and Nasarawa has become a road of death, and the blood of the innocent cries out from the ground”

“The NDC is touched by this tragedy. We are not just a political party; we are a family of Zamfarawa, and every drop of blood spilled on our soil pains us deeply. We feel the anguish of every mother who has lost a child, every father who has buried a son, every widow who now sleeps alone, and every orphan who now faces the world without protection”

‘We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of all the victims who lost their lives in these heinous attacks. We specifically mourn the fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate price while attempting to defend the defenceless. Their sacrifice shall not be in vain, and their blood shall not be forgotten”

“We share in your grief and stand with you in this dark hour. We pray to Almighty Allah to grant the departed souls eternal rest in Jannatul Firdaus. May He give the bereaved families the fortitude to bear these irreparable losses. And may He bring comfort to the wounded and hope to the displaced”

“While the people of Zamfara State are being slaughtered, their Governor, Dauda Lawal, is currently in Ethiopia as part of a federal delegation. This is a glaring display of a leader who has abandoned his primary duties”

Mr. Governor, why are you in Ethiopia when your people are in mourning? What business is more important than the security of Zamfara? What diplomatic engagement could possibly outweigh the blood of your own people? While you shake hands with foreign dignitaries, your people are being buried in shallow graves. While you attend meetings, villages are burning. While you travel, children are becoming orphans”

The party lamented that the Governor took an oath to protect the lives and properties of the people, saying that he campaigned vigorously, promising to end the scourge of banditry.

The party explained that he has failed in that promise, stressing that beyond the campaign rhetoric, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria places the security of the State squarely on his shoulders.

“The oath of office is not a mere formality; it is a sacred covenant between a leader and the people. To abandon that covenant is to abandon one’s very soul”

‘To abandon one’s people in their time of greatest need to pursue an ill-timed foreign journey of no security value is a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the sacred trust bestowed upon him by the electorate. We call on Governor Dauda Lawal to cut short this ill-advised trip and return immediately to face the reality of the bloodshed in his State”

“Your Excellency, Governor Dauda Lawal, we must remind you of a fundamental truth you seems to have forgotten. You are the one who went to the people. You are the one who asked the electorate to vote for you. You are the one who stood before the good people of Zamfara and declared publicly, with your own mouth, that you could make it that you could secure Zamfara if they elected you”

“And they believed you. They elected you with hope. They elected you with faith. They elected you with the expectation that you would fulfil the promises you made”

“Your Excellency, you have no excuse. None whatsoever. You cannot claim ignorance of the problem, for you yourself acknowledged it. You cannot claim lack of mandate, for the people gave you their votes. You cannot claim lack of resources, for the Federal Government and the State Government both have their own responsibilities”

“And let us be clear: both the Federal Government and the State Government have failed in their respective responsibilities. All of them have failed”

“Sir, you are the Governor. And Almighty Allah will ask you, as a leader, to account for every soul lost under your watch. Leadership is not a title; it is a trust. And that trust, Your Excellency, has been shattered”

“We recall that Professor Mansur Sokoto, in his Friday sermon in Gummi, drew your attention directly. He reminded you and the entire congregation that you yourself knew the problem. You yourself said you would solve the problem if elected. And you were elected”

“The people heard you. The people believed you. And now, the people are burying their loved ones while you are in Ethiopia”

“We remind you of this, Your Excellency, not out of malice, but out of a duty to truth. The blood of the innocent is on the ground. The cries of the widows and orphans are rising to the heavens. And Almighty Allah is watching. He sees. He knows. And He will judge’

‘The NDC calls on the Federal Government and the Zamfara State Government to wake up from their slumber. Banditry has become a monster that is consuming us. We cannot continue with the same failing strategies. We cannot continue to mourn without action. We cannot continue to bury our dead while our leaders look the other way”

“We demand that the Federal and the State Governments address this issue with the urgency it requires. You both promised during your last campaigns to end this problem. You have failed. Now, you must set aside politics and save the remnants of Zamfara”

“We demand the immediate deployment of additional security forces to Dansadau, Bukkuyum, and all vulnerable areas. We demand a comprehensive strategy that addresses the root causes of this insurgency. We demand accountability from our leaders. We demand that the blood of our people be pursued through justice, not endless funerals”

“The NDC will continue to talk. We will never be silenced. We will continue to speak truth until the people of Zamfara State are safe and secure. We will not rest, and we will not be intimidated. The blood of our people cries out for justice, and we will be their voice”

“We will continue to document these atrocities. We will continue to demand action. We will continue to hold our leaders accountable. And we will continue to stand with the people of Zamfara, no matter the cost”

“To the people of Zamfara: you are not alone. The NDC sees you. The NDC hears you. And the NDC will fight for you”

“The NDC is concerned. We are pained. We are resolute. We demand action, not excuses. We demand leadership, not abandonment. We demand justice, not silence.