Coalition seeks re-arrest of politicians linked to bandits

 AbdulGafar Alabelewe, Kaduna 

THE Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, asking him to order immediate re-arrest of some politicians earlier arrested for allegedly being accomplices of armed bandits in Zamfara State.

CNG argued that unless the presidency directs the immediate re-arrest and return to custody of the said politicians and all other suspected collaborators for proper investigation and appropriate prosecution, it risks a serious dent on its integrity.

Copies of the petition signed by spokesman Abdul-Azeez Suleiman and the group’s Zamfara State Coordinator, Bilyaminu Aliyu, was sent through Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle  were made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday.

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The petition noted that the security situation in Zamfara, which once improved, was getting worse.

CNG, which quoted Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), said from the beginning of March to April 6, there have been 169 civilian deaths in Zamfara alone, compared to 28 in Borno State and 14 in Adamawa.

The petition read in part: “There has been a growing concern over the level of insurgency, bandit killings, kidnapping, rape, and displacement of entire communities in many states of northern Nigeria.

“Coalition of Northern Groups, disturbed by the bleeding in the North, hereby takes the bold and necessary step to address this petition to Your Excellency to draw attention to the emerging trends particularly in Zamfara State that are pregnant with complications and unforeseen consequences.”