Angry residents of Fegen Mahe, a troubled community under Ruwan Bore ward in Zamfara’s Gusau Local Government Area, staged a protest on Wednesday after a fresh bandit attack left more than 20 people dead at dawn.
The demonstrators, mostly women and youths, marched from their village to the Zamfara State Government House in Gusau.
What began as a peaceful procession soon turned into a vocal expression of grief and outrage against Governor Dauda Lawal Dare’s handling of the state’s deepening insecurity.
Chanting mournful songs and waving placards, protesters accused the governor of breaking his promise to end banditry within weeks of assuming office.
“It’s been over two years since he made that promise, and things have only gotten worse,” one aggrieved resident shouted.
They also criticised Governor Lawal for what they described as empty rhetoric and a failure to demonstrate effective leadership in the face of mounting violence.
“He told us he would end this killing in two weeks. Now it’s two years and we are still burying our loved ones,” a protester said.
“How many more graves do we have to dig?”
The protesters rejected Governor Lawal’s frequent claims that insecurity is beyond his control because he does not command security agencies. They labelled the excuse “cowardly and irresponsible”.
“He knew the powers of a governor before he made those promises. Nobody forced him to lie to us,” said another demonstrator.
“We need leadership, not blame games.”
Zamfara has endured repeated attacks by armed groups, often referred to as bandits, with entire communities left vulnerable despite the presence of military personnel in some areas.