The Zamfara State Government has suspended Colonel Rabiu Garba (retd), the Commandant of the state’s Community Protection Guards.
The suspension, effective immediately, was announced in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Nakwada, on Wednesday.
The statement reads in part, “This is to inform the general public that Zamfara State Government has suspended the appointment of Colonel Rabiu Garba as state Commandant of the state Protection Guards.
“The suspension takes immediate effect.”
While the statement did not specify the reason for Garba’s suspension, it is believed to be related to comments he made during a recent radio interview.
In the interview, Garba criticized the state government for its alleged failure to adequately fund the Community Protection Guards since its establishment earlier this year.
He pointed out that the protection guards had not received financial support or a takeoff grant from the state government since its inception in January.
He also mentioned that despite being appointed four months ago, the guards had only received their salary once and were facing challenges due to the lack of funding, including the state government’s failure to provide fuel for their patrol vehicles.
“We were paid our allowances only once since we assumed duty four months ago,” he said.
Garba also stated that the lack of funds and logistical support had severely impacted their ability to combat banditry effectively.
He criticized the government for expecting guards armed to fight criminals to perform without adequate financial backing, stating that he personally had received only N98,000 since assuming office and had been using his own money to buy fuel for operations.
“Lack of funds and other logistics are responsible for our non-performance.
“You trained somebody, gave him a gun to fight criminals, then you refused to pay him his monthly allowance, and you cannot fuel his vehicle. How do you expect him to perform?
“I swear to God that since the time I assumed office in January this year as the Commandant of the state CPG, I have collected only N98, 000.
“Similarly, I have been buying fuel with my own money whenever we are going out for operations.
“This can never happen anywhere in the world.” He added.
The commandant also accused certain individuals within the government of sabotaging Governor Dauda Lawal’s efforts in the fight against banditry.
Despite attempts to communicate these issues to the governor and other officials, he claimed that no action had been taken to address their grievances.
Garba stated, “I know that His Excellency, Governor Dauda Lawal, is very much committed to the fight against banditry but there are some people in his cabinet who are sabotaging his good efforts for their selfish reasons.
“I have tried to reach out to the governor to notify him of the situation we are facing, but he is not accessible.
“I contacted some prominent Islamic scholars in the state like Sheikh Ahmed Umar Kanoma and Sa,idu Maikwano, who I thought could talk to the governor on the issue, but unfortunately there is no development.”
He warned that if the situation did not improve, members of the Community Protection Guards would be forced to resign.
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