Zamfara Terror Leader Summons Residents For Meeting, Announces Levies

A terror leader known as Dogo Gudale has summoned a meeting for residents of Bukuyum Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria. 

This disclosure was made by a monarch, who craved anonymity, in the affected communities on Wednesday, May 11. He told HumAngle that Gudale said he needs five persons from “our respective villages and communities under his territorial domain in Bukuyum local government to meet him at his camp to address us and answer some questions best known to him.”

The monarch said the communities had no option but to oblige the terrorist by nominating five representatives from each of the villages of Kairu, Kyaram, Wawan-Icce, Jargaba, Alkama, Yar-Gusau, and Adabka villages, as requested by Gudale. 

“We cannot refuse to meet up with the terrorist’s invitation. He summoned us to meet his deadline at all costs or face consequences and the wrath of their guns. Hence, we are virtually abandoned by our own local, state and federal authorities. No one cares about us here. This is why these teenage boys have free access to our villages and farms where they terrorise us,” he said. 

The trend

A resident who was held captive for seven months by Dogo Gudale told HumAngle that he spent those days without hope of being rescued.

“In fact, my home village, Jargaba, was attacked about 11 times, yet there was never help from security forces, whether before, during or after each attack. This is despite many reports we make to the village head, who in turn communicates to the government authorities,” he added. 

Another resident said he could not tell those nominated to meet Dogo Gudale for reasons known to the communities alone. 

“But, the fact is that Gudale levied each of our villages and neighbouring communities to contribute and pay a ransom of N5 million each, purposely to avoid his attacks on us and also he can let us farm this rainy season,” Jankuro said, adding that the few villages that could not meet up with the terror leader’s demands experienced the kidnapping of seven persons on Tuesday. “These include Bello Muhamma, Abdullahi Dan-Lami, Musa Chede, Bello Usman, and Ada Alu. They are still there.”

Before the summon, Gudale had ordered residents to prepare for bush clearing ahead of the farming season. He particularly made reference to his large farm located at Dajin Gabas that links up to Dankurmi and Birnin Gwari routes in Zamfara and Kaduna State, also in the northwestern region. 

To achieve this, a local, Bashar Sale Kairu, said “Dogo Gudale sent his terror members to each of the seven village heads in Kyaram ward to consider sending to him at least five people from their respective domains for manual work at his farm in Fasa-Gora.”

Kairu pointed out that an insider familiar with the terrain revealed that Gudale has been operating openly in the villages of Bukkuyum LGA and Danko Wasagu axes of Zamfara and Kebbi States without confrontation from government security operatives.

Terror kingpin re-opens mosque

Garbe Maigero, a resident, told HumAngle that Gudale, who has influence over other terror groups, declared the Friday mosque at Fasa-Gora village in Bukuyum LGA open after enforcing its closure for three years.  

“The mosque was earlier locked by Gudale himself during one of his attacks on the residents of Fasa-Gora. To his dismay the people of the area turned the mosque into a hiding place whenever they expected his attack,” Kairu added. “That is why we all had to vacate the village and run to Gummi, Maga, Wasagu, Gwashi and other places as IDPs for three years now.”

“Gudale now asked us to return, resettle and reunite with our families again. He unlocked all the padlocks with the bunch of keys he held and finally reopened the Mosque for us to say our prayers. Unfortunately, we found honey bees in their thousands blocking almost every corner of the Mosque. We all ran away for our lives,” another local, Buhari Buzu, said.

HumAngle’s efforts to contact the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, S.P. Muhammad Shehu, over this development in the area proved abortive.