Gov. Bello Matawalle of Zamfara has canceled his planned official trip to Germany earlier scheduled for the Wednesday, Nov. 20 due to security situation in the state.
This is contained in a statement signed by Yusuf Idris, the Director-General, Press Affairs to the governor and made available to newsmen in Gusau on Friday.
The statement said the postponement followed last Sunday’s killing of 14 persons by bandits in Karaye village of Gummi local government area of the state.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that governor Matawalle was billed to go to Germany to share his idea on how he was able to resolve armed banditry in Zamfara with the rest of the world.
The governor’s trip also followed an invitation extended to him by the German Chancellor when the former was in Germany last September as part of President Buhari’s delegation to the country.
According to the him, the Postponement of the visit would allow the governor to fully address the security situation in the state as result of attack on innocent persons in Karaye village of Gummi local government.
He maintained that having attained peaceful coexistence in the state through the peace and reconscilation initiative in the state, the government would continue to do its best in order to sustain the tempo.
The governor’s spokesman said that Gov. Matawalle had vowed to ensure that all those involved in the attack were apprehended and brought to book.
He also reiterated the governor’s threat on the immediate past governor of the state Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari that should there be any further breach of the peace trailing the former governor’s visit to the state, he would lead security personnel to arrest him.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Mohammed Shehu said the Karaye attack in which 14 persons were killed was a reprisal attack against an earlier attack on Fardoki village in the same Gummi local government where 11 persons were allegedly killed.
