Ruth Semilore
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Sani Jaji has made a chilling revelation about the level of brutality unleashed by bandits in Zamfara State, saying newborn twins were fed to dogs by their captors.
The member, who represents Kaura Namoda/Birnin Magaji Federal Constituency of the state, told reporters on Wednesday that the twins were born to a woman who had been abducted in the state, while pregnant.
He said:
‘She was kidnapped while she was heavily pregnant.
‘After she gave birth, the bandits threw the twin babies to dogs, and the animals devoured them. That is where we are now. That is the level of inhumanity we are facing’.
The lawmaker narrated another distressing incident involving a young boy with epilepsy. He said the boy had a seizure, which led to his death at the hands of the bandits.
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Jaji said:
‘The bandit demanded the boy be brought to him to be executed.
‘The father, out of desperation, begged his son to surrender to save the rest of the family. The boy agreed and was shot dead’.
He expressed deep frustration over the deteriorating security situation in the state, suggesting that governance has collapsed in several parts of Zamfara.
‘We are facing a total collapse of governance in many parts of the state. Our people can’t access their farms. Their economy has collapsed. We have many internally displaced persons who are not even recognised by the federal or state governments’, he said.
He recalled that during the 2023 general elections, he was part of the North West campaign team for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and had promised voters that security would be prioritised.
He said:
‘Now, we are failing those who believed in us. Zamfara, my state, used to be the most peaceful in Nigeria. Today, we are among the most ravaged. The constitution guarantees the protection of life and property, but that promise is not being kept’.
Jaji said he has tried to engage federal authorities, including the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, but lamented that little has come out of those efforts.
When asked about the possibility of arming residents to defend themselves, he responded with caution.
He said:
‘We are legislators, not vigilantes. We cannot encourage people to take up arms illegally. But the truth is, the people feel abandoned’.
The lawmaker’s remarks come amid rising reports of mass abductions, killings, and displacement in Zamfara and other parts of northern Nigeria.
