Zamfara: Gunmen killed 160 in three months, says gov

Governor Abdulazez Yari of Zamfara State on Monday said gunmen had killed 160 people and abducted 10 married women in different villages of the state in the last three months.
TheNews Agency of Nigeriareported that Yari made the disclosure when he addressed members of the House of Assembly on security situation in the state in Gusau on Monday.
He said the situation had caused disaffection between residents of the affected villages and the state government.

The governor said the hoodlums, who continued to terrorise villages in parts of the state, stole no fewer than 6,000 cows and 4,000 sheep within the period.
Yari said the state government was handicapped, and urged the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel in the state to protect lives and property of the people.
The governor said the state government had committed a lot of its scarce resources on security issues, and called on the Federal Government to stand up to its responsibilities.
The Speaker of the house, Alhaji Sanusi Rikijin, assured the governor of the assembly's support,
"We will consult with other state houses of assembly and the National Assembly to ensure justice, equity and fair play in the country,'' Rikijin said.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Scout Federation has expressed dissatisfaction with the approach being used by the Federal Government to tackle the security challenges posed by the Boko Haram sect.
The Chief Commissioner of the group, Retd. Colonel Ahmed Zubair, expressed the concern during the 2013 National WoodBadge Reunion in Lagos.
He said the Federal Government might not successfully combat the sect without knowing its "real" demand.
The scouts leader said, "On Boko Haram, I will say the method being emplyed by the Federal Government agencies may not be correct. What this means is that they will need to listen more to know what the root cause is. How did it all get started because they cannot be fighting without knowing why they are fighting and what is the aim of the people they are fighting?
"I used 32 years and six months in the force and I believe if we can solve the Liberian and Sierra Leonean conflicts, we can also solve ours. It is just a matter of applying the right tactics and approach. The government is for the people and they are supposed to make the interest of the people paramount in their decision."
A former Chief Commissioner of NSF, Rev. Kunle Amolegbe, who condemned the activities of the Boko Haram sect, wondered why government left security in the hands of private individuals.
He said, "I wonder what kind of security we are talking about when those who are supposed to provide security are not providing it as expected. Nigeria is porous, security is in the hands of the individuals and that is why you see that all of us are living in our homes like prisoners, we mount high gates, fences and others. This shows that the security of Nigeria is below expectation.
"Before we can solve the Boko Haram's problem, we must really know the root cause. We must be sure of what they are really fighting for. Some people look at it from the religious point of view, some look at it from the political point of view."