From Abba Kabara, Gusau.
Zamfara state police commissioner Mr. Usman Belel and the council chairman of Tsafe Hon. Aliyu Abubakar (M.C.) have in separate responses over the IDPs riot, claimed that the violence was perpetrated by organised thugs.
The police commissioner who briefed the press at the government house soon after the situation was brought to normalcy, said some unscrupulous youths have taken advantage of the current dicey situation and triggered disturbance and destruction of properties in the local government.
He disclosed that the police quick response to the situation helped to restore calm, explaining that some arrests have been made along with recovery of a number of Dane guns and other dangerous weapons.
The commissioner who gave the assurance that more arrests will be made, emphasizes That perpetrators must be tracked, arrested and brought to book.
The troubled council chairman Hon. Aliyu Abubakar has however attributed the incidence to a deliberate politically motivated move to generate more tension and confusion, particularly as the general elections draw nearer.
Though he however acknowledged that the IDPs have decided to state a peaceful demonstration to attract attention for more rehabilitation support, unfortunately, “some sponsored political thugs took advantage of the situation and perpetrated havoc in the local government” he said.
He regretted that about twenty official and private vehicles were destroyed by the thugs, while a portion of the council secretariat was set ablaze.
Hon. Abubakar claims that the action was masterminded by some desperate politicians as a preset for the intended disruption of the forthcoming general elections, “particularly the gubernatorial elections in the state”, he observes.
