Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has dissolved the State Executive Council with immediate effect.
Affected are the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Bala Bello Maru, the Chief of Staff, Colonel Bala Mande (rtd), all chairmen and members of the state commissions and boards of various agencies.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser Public Enlightenment, Media and Communication, Alhaji Zailani Baffa.
The dissolution did not affect commissions provided for by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The statement directed all the commissioners to hand over the affairs of their ministries to their respective permanent secretaries.
The Governor has also suspended the Emir of Dansadau in Maru Local Government Area of the state, Alhaji Hussaini Umar.
Also suspended is the District Head of Nasarawa Mailayi in Birnin Magaji Local Government, Alhaji Bello Wakkala.
The statement said, “The District Head of Dansadau, Alhaji Nasiru Muhammad S/Kudu will oversee the affairs of Dansadau emirate pending the outcome of an investigation”.
The Governor, according to the statement, has appointed a high-powered committee of some credible personalities to investigate the activities of the suspended traditional title holders.
The Committee members comprised of DIG Moh’d Ibrahim Tsafe (rtd) as Chairman; Hon. Yusuf Alhassan Kanoma, Hon. Ibrahim Tukur, Sheikh Ahmad Umar Kanoma, Sheikh Abdullahi Umar Dalla Dalla, Sheikh Kabir Umar Maru as members.
The committee has Barrister Abdurrashid Haruna as Secretary
The Governor has also ordered the security agents to effectively implement the presidential order to shoot at any bandit, person or group seen with guns other than those approved to lawfully carry guns.
Meanwhile, the insecurity situation in the state is deteriorating by the day as bandits continue to kill, kidnap, rustle animals and burn houses in almost all the 14 local government areas of the state.
Hundreds of villages and hamlets have been deserted by their inhabitants, while the bandits have taken over the deserted places.
The people of the state have been staging demonstrations in order to compel both the state and federal government to deploy additional reinforcement to their respective communities in order to arrest the lingering insecurity problem.
The Emir of Zurmi in Zurmi Local Government, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku escaped lynching by his subjects for his alleged romance with the bandits.
There was also another violent demonstration in Kaura-namoda Local Government yesterday where thousands of aggrieved villagers blocked Kaura-namoda- Gusau Road for more than seven hours.
