APC CHIEFTAIN URGES TINUBU TO TAKE CHARGE IN ZAMFARA INSECURITY CRISIS AFTER KILLING OF 38 HOSTAGES

Dr. Sani Shinkafi, a senior chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), asserted that only President Bola Tinubu — not Governor Dauda Lawal — can resolve the lingering banditry afflicting Zamfara State. Speaking Tuesday night at his residence in Gusau, Shinkafi condemned the brutal slaughter of 38 kidnapped residents from the Banga community in Kaura-Namoda, calling for urgent federal intervention.
Shinkafi highlighted that while Governor Lawal holds the title of Chief Security Officer of the state, he lacks the authority and resources to end the crisis without directives from the presidency. “If President Tinubu wanted to end insecurity in Zamfara now, he would order all security chiefs to deploy more troops,” Shinkafi stated. He warned that without such presidential marching orders, more lives will be lost.
Shinkafi delivered a harrowing account of the Banga ordeal: captives held for five months—including three pregnant women—after N50 million ransom, one woman died after bandits killed her newborn for crying. He described the situation as “inhuman” and “barbaric,” and accused politicians of politicising tragedy as they prepare for the 2027 election, instead of uniting to seek presidential support to flush out the criminals.
He urged traditional leaders, elders, religious authorities, and political figures to form a united front and directly petition President Tinubu, urging him to mobilise federal security resources and save Zamfara from its current predicament.