60 Killed: Gov Matawalle Suspends Emir After Bandit Attack

The Governor of Nasarawa State, Bello Matawalle, has removed from power Emir of Zurmi, Atiku Abubakar.

The Publisher Nigeria gathered that the governor suspended the traditional ruler over alleged complicity in banditry. The development is coming after the killing of about 60 persons by bandits in Kadawa village in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state on Thursday night.

Lamenting the spate of insecurity in the state earlier, Matawalle in a broadcast said the state has been ravaged by a continuous attack by criminal elements. According to the governor, banditry has reverted to how it used to be before his administration.

He said: “In recent weeks, the act of banditry has reverted to the ugly dimensions it had, prior to the coming of my administration,”

“The marauders kill without regard for any rules of sanity. Women, the elderly, and children are not spared. As a result, a large number of people have been displaced in nearly every town in the state.

“You are witnesses to what we have accomplished from the beginning of our administration, particularly the peace and reconciliation efforts that we initiated and achieved. As a result, we have been able to shift our violent narratives to one of optimism and peaceful coexistence. Unfortunately, things suddenly took a dramatic turn and things are getting worse by the day.

“It is clear that some invincible hands are plotting evil against our people with the goal of making our state as terrifying as it were in the years gone by. My constant prayer is for Allah to reveal those who are perpetrating these cruel atrocities against our people,” Matawallle said.

Reacting to the most recent attack in the area, Matawalle ordered that the traditional title of ‘Bunun Kanwa’ should to take charge of the affairs of the emirate, pending the report of a committee carrying out an investigation on the matter.

The governor’s media aide, Yusuf Idris said; “The committee members are mandated to investigate allegations made against the suspended Emir, on his involvement in the escalating rate of banditry attacks in the Emirate.”