Bandits in Zamfara State have reportedly killed a councillor representing Jangebe Ward, Habibu Jangebe, and the Director of Planning for Talata-Mafara Local Government Area, Alhaji Jamilu Sani, over allegations that they were involved in facilitating payments to the Lakurawa terrorist group.
The two local government officials were said to have been murdered after being accused of overseeing monthly payments to the Lakurawa group as part of efforts to shield communities from attacks.
A resident of the area, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, confirmed the identities of the victims and claimed they had been tasked by the local government with delivering funds to the Lakurawa terrorists.
According to the source, the arrangement allegedly involved regular payments to the Lakurawa group, while bandits operating in the area received no such support.
“A certain amount of money is allegedly paid to the Lakurawa terrorists every month by the local government, but the bandits are excluded from the arrangement,” the source said.
He alleged that the bandits abducted the two officials 10 days earlier and later killed them in retaliation.
The source further claimed that the bandits had threatened to target the chairman of the local government, Yahaya Yari, accusing him of sidelining them from what they described as a “welfare package” enjoyed by the Lakurawa group.
The victims were reportedly kidnapped on May 18, 2026, while travelling from Jangebe to the Talata-Mafara headquarters to make preparations for the recent pilgrimage exercise.
Reacting to the incident, Yari described the killings as tragic and condemned the attack. However, he firmly rejected allegations that the local government had been supporting or paying Lakurawa terrorists.
He dismissed the claims as baseless, stressing that the council would never negotiate with any terrorist group.
“Both the bandits and the Lakurawa group are terrorists. My local government will never give money to either of them,” he said.
Yari added that the Zamfara State Government, under Governor Dauda Lawal, maintains a strict policy against negotiating with terrorists.
He explained that the only group receiving support from the local government was members of the Civilian Joint Task Force from Borno State, who are assisting security agencies in tackling banditry in the area.
“We have personnel from Borno State helping us in the fight against banditry. They are the ones we support, not Lakurawa terrorists as falsely claimed by some individuals,” he said.
“The DSS and other security agencies are fully aware of this arrangement and are working tirelessly to combat insecurity. The bandits are unhappy with these efforts and have continued to target government officials and innocent residents in an attempt to intimidate us, but we will not back down.”
The chairman also accused those spreading allegations that the local government was funding Lakurawa terrorists of acting as informants for bandits.
“If I identify those behind these rumours, I will ensure they are arrested and made to explain the source of their claims,” he added.