The launch of the Community Protection Guards in Zamfara by Dr Bello Matawalle has, for the first time, altered the security dynamics of the state with a renewed hope that the incessant cases of banditry and mass kidnapping would soon be curtailed so that peace could return to the besieged villages in Zamfara.
Governor Matawalle has never underestimated the roles our security forces play in restoring peace to Zamfara.
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The governor has always supported the military with logistic supplies. The reality of the matter is our security forces are outstretched, and the gravity of the situation in Zamfara is so bad that the governor and his policymakers had to involve volunteers to save lives.
The establishment of the Civilian Protection Guards is meant to assist the security in covering a large swath of lands where vulnerable villages are being pillaged and massacred on a daily basis. I am sure, the measure taken by the governor is altruistic and only meant for defensive purposes. This measure could free up our troops to mount an offensive and flush out the marauding terrorists who keep killing our people. The same strategy yielded positive results in Borno State when civilians volunteered to team up with the security forces to stem the tide of frequent attacks on civilian targets in the state.
Zamfara is going through a tough time. However, despite the massive economic and human costs, we are still optimistic that things would play out well in the long run. This is not the right time for political blackmail; it is a critical moment during which the entire residents of Zamfara should rally behind their governor. It is the time for us to understand that Zamfara’s future is at stake, and now is for unity. All the movers and shakers of Zamfara are behind this bold move and the federal government should assist Zamfara with more funds to encourage our active troops and the IDPs whose plight is largely blinded by the humanitarian crisis in the North East.
Our hope is that the Civilian Protection Guards succeed in their efforts to provide intelligence to our spy agencies, and security to our communities that have suffered from attacks and killings for years.
Bashir Aliyu Limanci wrote from Anka Local Government, Zamfara State.
