The eight lawmakers suspended indefinitely by Zamfara State House of Assembly have said they were hounded out of the state by political thugs for exposing the worsening security challenges in the state.
The lawmakers also claimed that some security agents had been sent to hunt for them without any reason, a situation which pushed them into hiding.
Bashir Aliyu, who spoke on behalf of the eight lawmakers, at a news conference in Zaria, yesterday, said they would not be silenced until action is taken to tame the high level of insecurity in Zamfara.
Aliyu said when they moved to effect changes in the leadership of the Assembly; it was to draw attention to the alleged prolonged absence of the Speaker and his deputy from the state. He, however, said some forces in the state had since been hounding them, instead of working to make the state safe.
According to him, some of the suspended lawmakers were attacked by thugs linked to a politician in the state during the wedding of the Deputy Governor’s daughter on February 24, 2024.
He cited a letter with reference no. ZMHA/ADM/223/Vol.1, dated March 7, 2024, which directed them to return the official vehicles in their care to the Clerk of the Assembly within seven days.
“We want to notify Nigerians that democracy is in danger in Zamfara, despite the prevailing insecurity, poverty and other challenges bedeviling the people of the state.
“We, therefore, call for the intervention of key stakeholders to salvage the situation,” Aliyu, who represents Gumi I constituency, added. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on February 27, eight lawmakers were suspended by the Assembly for allegedly holding illegal plenary.
The suspension was to give room for full investigation. The lawmakers are Bashir Aliyu (PDP, Gummi 1), Amiru Keta (PDP, Tsafe West), Nasiru Abdullahi (PDP, Maru South), Bashir Masama (PDP, Bukkuyum North), Faruku Dosara (APC, Maradun 1), Ibrahim Tukur (APC, Bakura Constituency), Shamsudeen Hassan (APC, Talata-Mafara North) and Bashiru Sarkin-Zango (PDP, Bungudu West).
