Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has accused Senator AbdulAzeez Yari of financing terrorism to conceal gold-mining operations in Zamfara State, People Gazette
He also alleged that Mr. Yari uses proceeds from gold mining to bankroll the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, Mr. Adebayo said he doubted Mr. Tinubu’s intention to tackle terrorism, claiming the president is surrounded by people such as Mr. Yari, whom he described as an alleged sponsor of terrorism whose largesse is funding the APC for the 2027 general elections.
Mr. Tinubu appointed Mr. Yari as director-general of the APC campaign council. Mr. Yari accepted the position on Tuesday, thanking the president for entrusting him with the responsibility.
“How can you say you want to fight terrorism when the terrorists are in the Villa, the terrorists are robbing the government, and the terrorists are the ones in Zamfara using terrorism to mine gold and use the gold to fund campaign and become chairman of campaign — and you are there and you don’t want to recognise that?” the SDP candidate said.
There have been killings and kidnappings in Zamfara State, where terrorists and bandits continue to operate to the detriment of locals and farmers, the majority of whom have fled their farms.
Mr. Adebayo said the killings were a ploy to sow panic and displace people from areas with natural resources. “When locals are dislodged from their communities, it gives illegal miners unfettered access to steal natural resources,” he said.
Asked how he would tackle terrorism, Mr. Adebayo said his first strategy would be to hold miners accountable for any killings and violence that occur in their designated cadastral zones.
“If you cover the mining cadastral properly, identify miners and let miners know that in any territory where you are operating, you are responsible for any killing there — because the killing that is going on in Nigeria is the killing of people trying to displace people from areas where they have identified resources,” the SDP presidential candidate said.
Mr. Yari was governor of Zamfara State from 2011 to 2019. He later became a senator representing Zamfara West.
