Barely a month since the Zamfara State House of Assembly was engulfed in internal crisis, facts have begun to emerge unveiling the root cause of the friction that led to the suspension of eight out of the 24 lawmakers and subsequent closure of the legislature.
On Thursday, February 22, 2024, a total of 21 lawmakers, among them the deputy speaker, under the auspices of the Non-Principal Officers Forum, held an executive session at the Assembly chamber to deliberate on the security challenges affecting the state with a view to finding ways to end the menace.
The meeting, according to the lawmakers, became imperative after a series of requests to the leadership of the house to convene a normal plenary to discuss the matter had not been entertained.
The lawmakers converged on the chamber and succeeded in getting a Mace and nominated a speaker pro-tempore in order to meet the laid down procedures to validate their sitting.
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However, at this point, the deputy speaker of the house, Hon. Adamu Aliyu (PDP-Gummi-2), decided to withdraw his participation from the meeting while the 20 others went ahead to hold the session.
It commenced with an opening prayer led by Hon. Nura Dahiru (APC-Birnin Magaji) after which Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi Maru (Maru-1) nominated Hon. Bashir Aliyu Gummi (Gummi-1) to serve as speaker pro tempore, a nomination that all the remaining members unanimously approved.
At this stage, the speaker pro tempore took charge by occupying the seat of the speaker which signified his assumption of power and also paved the way for the commencement of proper legislative session.
During the session, some of the lawmakers made their submissions on the topic of discussion. One of them, Hon. Ibrahim Tudu Tukur (Bakura), said the situation the state had found itself in had compelled them to set aside the leadership of the house and hold the executive session.
“We must use our powers to compel the government to do the right things. We choose to undertake our primary assignments to protect the interests of our constituents even if it will cost us our lives. We are tired of the incessant killings and abduction of our people by terrorists.
“We are all living witnesses, when the government brought its bill for the formation of the CPG; we went to Kaduna State and deliberated on the bill and came up with a comprehensive bill that we feel will address the banditry, but the executive changed it and came up with a different bill.
“We called on the executive to bring that bill to us to see what it contains in terms of provisions for those that might have lost their lives or were injured in active service, but our calls fell on deaf ears. I can confidently tell you that, in the next six months, I don’t think you can find a single CPG staff that can dare to confront the bandits if we allow things to go the way they are going.”
Another contributor, Hon. Faruk Musa Dosara, (Maradun-1) told the session that last year, his constituents couldn’t cultivate their farms and that this year, they went to clear the farms but bandits attacked, killed and abducted scores of them.
He said: “Up till this moment, we could not find corpses of some of the victims. Two days later, the bandits went and attacked Makera community; they killed several people and abducted 55 others among them women and children.
“As elected representatives, this is the right place where we can say the truth and call on the government to do the needful. If we fail to do so then we will account for it before our creator. We have all agreed not to dialogue with bandits but the government is not doing the right thing to address the situation. Recently, the people of Shinkafi reconciled with the renowned bandits’ leader, Bello Turji, and now live in peace with him.
“So, if the government is not ready to protect its people, then it should allow the people to reconcile with the bandits and live in peace. I am therefore advising for the closure of the assembly until the government listens to the plights of people.”
Hon. Bashir Abubakar Masama (Bukkuyyum North) said even though the state government has commissioned the Community Protection Guards (CPG) to protect the lives and properties of the people that had not changed anything.
He then called on the house to invite all those who participated in the formation of the CPG – from recruitment, training, and purchase of working tools – to appear before it.
Hon. Masama alleged that: “I was informed that in my constituency, only one gun was given to the 30 CPG personnel deployed to the area.”
On his part, Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi Maru (Maru North), reminded the session about the troubles and harassment the people of Zamfara were going through at the hands of bandits, lamenting that lawmakers could no longer go to their constituencies to sympathise with their people whenever there was an attack by the bandits.
“We all know, today the government is dashing out huge amounts of money for undertaking other things but our people are suffering in the hands of criminals. Our governor, Dauda Lawal, has a good heart but some of his subordinates are not helping matters at all.”
Responding to the submissions by the lawmakers, the Speaker Pro Tempore, Hon. Bashir Aliyu Gummi, called on the state government to expedite efforts in tackling the menace of banditry in the state.
“I am calling on the state government to come back to its senses and tackle the issue of insurgency in the state for the interest of our people. We hereby declare the assembly closed indefinitely until the security situation is fully addressed,” Gummi concluded.
The speaker pro tempore then called on Hon. Ibrahim Fegin-Mahe who closed the session with prayer.
However, on Monday, February 26, 2024, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Bilyaminu Isma’ila, reconvened with seven other members; Hon Adamu Aliyu (Gummi-2), Hon Bello Mazawaje (Tsafe East), Hon Rilwanu Marafa (Anka), Hon Nura Dahiru (Birnin Magaji), Hon Ibrahim Wambai (Gusau), Hon Hamisu A Faru (Bukuyum South) and Hon Mustapha Usman (Shinkafi) after he was said to have persuaded Hon. Wambai and Hon. Dahiru to join his camp to make the quorum.
In the ensuing turn of events, the plenary suspended only eight out of the 18 lawmakers who participated in the purported executive session, for alleged misconduct, conspiracy, mischief, and illegal sitting.
The suspended lawmakers are: Hon. Bashir Aliyu Ummi, Hon. Amiru Ahmad Keita, Hon. Nasiru Abdullahi, Hon. Bashir Masama, Hon. Faruku Dosara, Hon. Ibrahim Tukur, Hon. Shamsudeen Hassan, and Hon Bashiru Sarkin-Zango.
The suspension, according to the speaker, followed a motion by the majority leader, Hon. Bello Mazawaje (PDP-Tsafe East), who told the House that the actions of the affected lawmakers violated the Assembly’s Order 10, Rule 9.
Mazawaje further alleged that the lawmakers had on February 22, 2024, broken the doors to the office of the Clerk and Sergeant at Arms while searching for the mace and conducted an unlawful sitting. They also blocked other members from gaining access to the assembly’s chamber.
Corroborating with the mover of the motion, the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Adamu Aliyu (Gummi-2), and Hon. Rilwanu Marafa (Anka), described the actions of the lawmakers as unfortunate and disgraceful to the house and consequently advised the house to sanction them.
However, the Minority Whip, Hon. Nura Dahiru (APC-Birnin Magaji), urged the House leadership to thoroughly investigate the matter and ensure justice and fairness.
The assembly further directed the state Director of the Department of Security Service (DSS) to investigate the matter and submit its report to the office of the Attorney General of the state for further action.
Also, a letter dated March 7, 2024, and signed by Faruk Bala, director of administration, Zamfara State House of Assembly, was served to all the suspended lawmakers requesting them to return official vehicles in their possession to the office of the Clerk within seven days.
Consequently, at a press conference held in Zaria, Kaduna State, the suspended lawmakers raised allegations of threat to their lives, citing examples with three lawmakers, Hon. Shamsuddeen Hassan, Hon. Bashir Aliyu and Hon. Abubakar Masama whom they alleged were attacked by some sponsored political thugs on February 23 and 24, 2024 respectively.
Meanwhile, the suspended lawmakers have so far filed three cases; one at the Zamfara State High Court and the remaining two at the Federal High Court seeking enforcement of their fundamental human rights to personal liberty, presumption of innocence, right to dignity of human person, right to private and family life, right to freedom of movement, right to movable and immovable property, right to practice their chosen profession and right to fair hearing before a court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction.
When contacted, the House Leader, Hon. Bello Mazawaje, denied the allegation of threatening the lives of the suspended lawmakers, saying they were not the only politicians attacked by hoodlums; recalling that even the deputy speaker of the house was recently attacked by some hoodlums.
“The lawmakers might have been attacked by the thugs for other reasons, but the attack on them has nothing to do with the issue at stake. Nobody sponsored the hoodlums to attack them; for what reasons?”
On the allegation of suspension of their cash allowances, the house leader said: “Yes it was suspended because by law they are not entitled to it since they were on suspension. After all, the cash allowance is a privilege and you should not expect someone who is not entitled to some of his rights to enjoy something that is a privilege.”
On signing undertakings by some of the affected lawmakers before getting their allowances, Mazawaje said: “It is obvious that if someone offended you, you must find a way of correcting him. We asked them to sign undertakings because you cannot just embrace somebody who offends you without laying some conditions for him.
“They participated in the illegal sitting and later realised their mistakes and returned to us and therefore we gave them conditions to fulfill and then get their allowances. The matter is still under investigation and once the investigation is over, the truth of the matter will be made public.”
Daily Trust observed that while the lawmakers continued to fight for their rights, bandits have continued to sack more communities, kill many residents and abduct others almost on a daily basis in the state.
