Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State said he would arrest a former state governor, Abdul’aziz Yari, if there were any further killing of innocent people in the state.

Zamfara governor Bello Matawalle and former governor, Abdulaziz Yari

Maiharaji Altine, Gusau

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State said he would arrest a former state governor, Abdul’aziz Yari, if there were any further killing of innocent people in the state.

Matawalle said this on Friday in a statement while receiving some firearms surrendered by repentant bandits at the Government House, Gusau.

Matawalle alleged that it was anytime Yari visited the state that there were attacks and killing of people.

“I decided to take this action against the former governor because I observed that whenever he visited the state, there would be attacks and killing of innocent people immediately he left,” he alleged.

According to Matawalle, the recent killings in Karaye village was the third time the former governor visited the state. He alleged that his predecessor’s visit was followed by a security breach, which he described as “too much of coincidence.”

He said, “Security is the responsibility of all and I wonder why some people such as the former governor and his followers are not happy with the current development in which the security of the state has significantly improved.”

The governor, therefore, instructed security agencies in the state to arrest and prosecute anybody found to be responsible for  the killings, saying he would not allow “some failed politicians” to destroy the state for their personal interests.

When contacted for comments, the Special Adviser to Yari on Media, Alhali Ibrahim Dosara, declined to comment, stressing that only the Publicity Secretary Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Alhali Ibrahim Magaji, could comment on the matter.

However, several attempts made to speak with Magaji did not yield any result.

Meanwhile, the suspended Chairman of Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Alhaji Garba Galadi, on Friday said the state House of Assembly did not follow constitutional procedures before suspending him.

The House had suspended the chairman for alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of N23m and asked him to hand over the affairs of the council to his deputy.

However, in a swift reaction, the House threatened to take drastic action against Galadi for still parading himself as the chairman and refusing to hand over to his deputy.