Pending the conclusion of investigations, Two lawmakers – members of Zamfara State House of Assembly were on Tuesday suspended over the allegation of ties to bandits.
The Assembly, through its Director-General Press Affairs and Public Relations, Mustapha Jafaru Kaura, asked the lawmakers to stay off the assembly for three months.
Daily Trust reports that the affected lawmakers are Yusuf Muhammad, Anka representing Anka Constituency, and Ibrahim T. Tukur Bakura, representing the Bakura constituency of the state.
Kaura said, “They are also to appear before the House Committee on ethics and privileges in conjunction with security agencies that are assigned by law to investigate them.
“These are part of the resolutions reached just now at the House plenary presided over the speaker of the House Rt Hon Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya under matters of urgent public importance.”
A member representing Maru North, Hon Yusuf Alhassan Kanoma, called the attention of other members in the plenary to the “burning issue” shortly after every member swore an oath.
Kanoma, who allegedly pointed out that Yusuf Muhammad Anka and Ibrahim T Tukur Bakura were jubilating when the father of speaker late Alhaji Mu’azu Abubakar Magarya was kidnapped also alleged that the two lawmakers have hands in the killing of a former member who represented the Shinkafi constituency in the state House of Assembly, late Hon Muhammad G. Ahmad (Walin Jangeru).
He claimed that they leaked information through which bandits tracked the deceased thereby urged the house not to fold arms over the serious allegations leveled against the duo.
The lawmaker demanded that the security agencies should track and listen to all their telephone conversations.
In support of Kanoma, another lawmaker from Birnin Magaji constituency, Hon Nura Dahiru Sabon birnin Dan Ali said that the efforts to negotiate with the notorious bandit, Bello Turji, on so many occasions to secure the release of the late speaker’s father, should not go in vain.
The speaker, Rt Hon Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya in his ruling on the matter, approved outrightly the suspension of the two members.
He also instructed the chairman House Committee on ethics and privileges, Hon Kabiru Hashimu Dansadau, to thoroughly investigate the members and report its findings back to the plenary.
The Speaker further stripped them of the chairmanship of the House standing committees.
According to Daily Trust reports, the suspended lawmakers could not be reached as at press time.
Back Story: Four months earlier, Zamfara lawmaker killed by bandits
On June 30, 2021, a member of Zamfara State House of Assembly, Mohammed Ahmed was shot dead by bandits while escorting his son to Kano to board a flight to Sudan.
Ahmed was dead shortly after his defection with Governor Bello Matawalle to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Matawalle defected to APC from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alongside all the state elected officials except his deputy, Mahdi Aliyu, and a state lawmaker.
Mr. Ahmed was killed along Scheme- Funtua Road while embarking on the journey shortly after the defection ceremony in Gusau on Tuesday
Zamfara Speaker’s father dies in bandits’ captivity
On October 3, 2021, the father of the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly’, Muazu Magarya was reportedly died while in captivity by bandits.
Bandits had kidnapped the late Magarya, who was, till his death, the District Head of Magarya village.
His wife, three weeks old baby, and three others were also abducted.
After 8 weeks in captivity by a suspected notorious bandit known as Turji, the kidnapped victims were rescued but the speaker’s father was not among them
According to a source, one of the commanders in Turji’s ranks, Dan Bokkolo, rejected the ransom paid.
Despite the fact that another ill-famed bandit, Halilu Kachalla was also said to have interceded, Turji refused the speaker’s father’s release.
Addressing the newsmen, the senior brother of the deceased, Malam Dahiru Magarya who was also kidnapped said, the speaker’s father died of a heart attack in the bandit den.
“One of the bandits’ kingpins popularly known as Kachalla informed me that my brother died due to heart failure while in captivity,” he said. “We were separated when they kidnapped us, they took my brother to another camp but it was Kachalla, one of the commanders of the bandits that told me about the death of my brother which was a result of a heart attack hours before our rescue.”
Lawmakers suspended in Zamfara for allegedly working with bandits | The Informant247 Newspaper