Governor Bello Matatwalle Orders Restoration Telecommunications Services In Zamfara State

The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matatwalle, has ordered the restoration of telecommunications networks in Gusau, the state capital.

The governor’s spokesperson, Zailani Baffa, announced the order in a statement to reporters on Friday. He said it is to end the hardships the measure brought to the people.

“The restoration of the service at the state capital becomes imperative following the tremendous success recorded in the fight against banditry in the state and to ease the hardship faced by both the private and public sectors of the state,” Mr Baffa said in the statement.

“Government finds it necessary to ease the tight measure after the recorded success desired of it which has no doubt destabilized the syndicate of criminals terrorizing the state, leading to the successes recorded against them by the security operatives.

“Governor Matawalle promises that his administration will continue to monitor closely the unfolding developments and will announce further decisions of the Government on measures being taken appropriately,” the official said.

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On Thursday, the state government said over 2,000 suspected informants of bandits had been arrested since it cut telecommunication services to support a military offensive against bandits in the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, at a press conference in Kaduna on Thursday, said the suspects have provided vital information to the security agencies.

Mr Dosara said many bandits had fled the state while the others were starving and forced to eat raw food, having been cut off from communities.

“Many bandits have been neutralized by the army. Most of them are forced to eat raw food like millet, because they have been cut off from their collaborators in town.

“They have settled on using camels to perpetrate violence,” Mr Dosara said.

The governments of four North-west states have suspended telecommunications networks, banned weekly markets and restricted the sale of petrol, among other measures they have taken to check the rampage by bandits.