Allegedly, members of the recently established Community Protection Guards are responsible for the death of Magaji Lawal Yandoto, a political ally of Senator Kabir Marafa.
According to reports from Punch, the deceased was summoned to the office of the Community Protection Guards in Tsafe town, the administrative center of Tsafe local government area, on Saturday, under suspicion of colluding with bandits. Senator Marafa, speaking to journalists immediately after the funeral service for Lawal on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, stated that he had advised Lawal to comply with the invitation from the CPG to address the accusations against him.
Marafa expressed shock upon receiving news that Lawal had died during interrogation by members of the CPG, whom he had encouraged Lawal to trust as a government agency. He alleged that Lawal had been fatally tortured by the guards.
“It appears that Magaji Lawal met his demise at the hands of CPG officials, as some of the individuals invited alongside him were reportedly subjected to torture and later released,” Marafa asserted.
While expressing his support for the government’s efforts to combat banditry and his readiness to contribute, Marafa voiced concern over the purported recruitment of individuals with questionable backgrounds.
Marafa pledged to utilize all appropriate channels to uncover the truth surrounding Lawal’s death.
Meanwhile, the state government has instructed security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the incident.
The Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Nakwada, in a statement on Tuesday, said the incident happened as a result of a fracas between two factions of the local vigilante groups of the area.
“The government is fully cognisant of the skirmish between the two factions, but the situation is now completely under control. The government is committed to ensuring that anyone found culpable in this incident will be sanctioned to the full extent of the law,” the statement read.
See photos from the funeral and video of Senator Marafa speaking after the ceremony
