Hundreds of protesters, mostly elderly women and nursing mothers from Jimrawa village in Dan Isa ward of Kaura Namoda Local Government Area, Zamfara State, stormed the Government House in Gusau on Wednesday, demanding urgent deployment of security personnel to protect them from persistent bandit attacks.

Dan Isa is one of six wards slated for a by-election on August 16, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, the ward is currently grappling with worsening insecurity, with many residents reportedly held hostage by armed bandits.

During the protest, one of the women, Maimuna Adamu, said most of their husbands are in captivity, which explains why the protest was dominated by women.

Maimuna accused Governor Dauda Lawal of abandoning the community, lamenting that he had yet to fulfill his campaign promise to address the insecurity in their area after assuming office in May 2023.

Also speaking, a young man who identified himself as Auwalu Umar said he had lost his entire family to bandit attacks and now lives alone.

“They killed my father, mother, brothers, and sisters. I’m living in total loneliness. There is no one left to support or even advise me on how to live my life,” he said tearfully.

Another elderly protester, who declined to give his name, decried the attitude of politicians who are only interested in their votes for the by-election without concern for their safety.

“We won’t return home. We won’t leave Gusau until the authorities give us assurances of our safety. We now believe that Governor Lawal is avoiding us after we voted for him massively,” he said.