Marafa berates Yari over comments on security

Sen. Kabiru Marafa, (APC-Zamfara Central) has faulted Gov. Abudulaziz Yari of Zamfara over his recent comments concerning the security situation in the state.

Marafa, who spoke with State House correspondents on Friday, said he was in the Presidential Villa to offer useful clues to President Muhammadu Buhari on way out the lingering security problem in the State.

He said he also intimated the president on the latest development with regards to the crisis that emanated from the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s congress in the state.

Marafa said that Yari should have resigned his appointment as the governor of the state since he could no longer oversee the security of the state.

Yari had recently said he had dropped his responsibility as Chief Security Officer of the state as he had no control over security machinery in the state.

Speaking to newsmen in Talata-Mafara, Zamfara, Yari said that his decision was premised on the helplessness of the state government and the people over recurring killings in the state.

He had condemned the reoccurring killings, regretting that as the chief security officer of the state, he could not take decisions on strategies for protecting the state and its people.

Marafa, however, said that the governor ought to have given up his seat alongside that of the chief security officer of the state, adding that Yari deserved impeachment.

He said that the number one culprit was the state House of Assembly because as it ought to have initiated impeachment proceedings on the governor over the comment.

“The media ought to be blamed also; when problems happen in other states, it tends to be over blown, but when it happens in some other states, nobody cares.

“Nigeria is suppose to be seen as our country; for a chief executive to come out publicly to say that he has resigned as the chief security officer of that state, he or she is suppose to accomplish that statement with his resignation.

“You cannot be spending state funds and security funds but lives and property, you are responsible to protect are in danger.

“The number one essence of government is protection of lives and property; any person that cannot protect the lives and property of the people he superintends, he or she is not supposed to be on that seat even if he is your chairman.

“I do not have to call on him to resign; this is something every Nigerian is supposed to say.

“If he has conscience and he knows what leadership is all about; and he takes the teachings of Islam very seriously; he would have resigned instead as governor instead of saying he resigned as chief security officer,’’ he said.

He said it was wrong for Yari to be Zamfara State Governor only in resources but when it came to protection of lives and property, he shirked responsibility and passed the buck to President Buhari.

Marafa said that Yari had unfettered access to the president and wondered why he had not been telling the president the truth.

On the crisis confronting APC in Zamfara, Marafa said he is not planning to quit the party, hence his decision to seek redress from the court.

“Today the court gave an order restraining all the parties from parading themselves as leaders of APC in Zamfara State pending the determination of the case,’’ he said.