The Zamfara Circle Community Initiative (ZCCI) has claimed that there is no security pressnce in 80 per cent of Zamfara State’s hinterland. Addressing a news conference in Gusau yesterday, Chairman Aminu Lawal bemoaned the deteriorating security situation in the state.

The group decried the murder of 35 innocent lives in the Banga ward in the Kaura Namoda Local Government Area by their abductors recently.

Lawal said: “We send our condolences to the victims’ families. “It was obvious that the only 18 that were released by their captors were severely malnourished and required immediate medical attention, but no support came to their way.

“We are also sending our condolences to the people of Waramu village in the Anka LGA whose village was completely burnt down and who were turned into be Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) overnight, and Chediya village in the Tsafe LGA over the killings, abductions and destructions that took place recently.

“The attacks in Zamfara have escalated alarmingly, with a notable increase in frequency and devastation.

“For example, Fegin Mahe village in the Gusau LGA was completely ransacked with over 5,000 inhabitants displaced. “Also, 11 communities in the Bukkuyum LGA, with over 50,000 people displaced.