From Salisu Zakari Maradun, Gusau
Barely 72 hours after an attempt to have audience with governor of Zamfara by the members of the state house of assembly through the speaker, Bilya Minu Sama’ila, failed, at least four members are currently receiving medical treatment at various health institutions within and outside the state following an attack launched on them by a group of youths suspected to be sponsored by the government, checks by new National Star has shown.
The affected members were attacked at their different places by their attackers and immediately on sighting them, they began to insult them individually to the extent of stripping them nakedly in public like that of Bungudu I state constituency who was attacked amidst hundreds of people at a wedding ceremony and began to cry for help.
According to the checks, the problem started when the members who for long have been pressurized by their various constituents to ensure they address insecurity issue contacted the embattled speaker to write to the governor to appear before the house and explain why insecurity is yet to be addressed.
Coupled with continued suffering of the innocent citizens of the state in the hands of the bandits, according to the checks, as there are still hundreds of kidnapped people in the bush and a number of them were killed in the process. The members were angered and quickly demanded the Speaker to act but he vehemently refused.
As the wind of insecurity continued to blow from all angles as reliably gathered by our reporter, another dozens of people have been abducted and many of them killed while their properties worth millions of naira were destroyed in one week .
Impeccable sources told our correspondent that in only six days, about 300 people were abducted, while another dozens killed, citing example with what happened in three local governments which included Maradun, Talata Mafara and Zurmi where the bandits went to the extent of setting ablaze, a number of locations destroying all their belongings, including some domestic animals trapped during the operation of the bandits.
The members who were 18 out of 24 also demanded the speaker to summon the governor times without number, but always refused, the action that angered them to revolt and went against him (the speaker) who is currently on the run up to the time of filling this report.
Some of the members despite being in the same party (PDP) were even of the opinion of impeaching the speaker, as according to them, the speaker has failed, while others accused him of sycophancy.
Another source close to the assembly told our correspondent in confidence that the speaker, apart from being ignorant of the law also exhibits high handedness, partiality and discrimination and all these are some of the impeachable offences, but we just kept quiet because it is not what we are here for, what we are here for is to ensure we give our people a positive representation which we later go to understand that it was not what is in the heart of the governor,” the source added.
Virtually, the speaker according to the checks and who was nowhere to be seen, could not be in Zurmi, the Local government that suffered much in the recent attack and where he had from, perhaps in an effort to escape the impeachment which still remains the issue that cares him.
Our correspondent further gathered reliably that in addition to all that is mentioned above against the embattled Zamfara speaker he was also said to be more obedient to the governor than the members of the house he leads which pains them much.