Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has accused certain individuals of sabotaging his administration’s efforts to address the severe security challenges in the state.
He claims these people are sponsoring banditry and other criminal activities to undermine his government.
Lawal disclosed this during an early morning TV show on Channels Television in Abuja on Tuesday, in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital.
“We have been trying to restore peace and stability in the state, but somebody, somewhere, somehow, has been negotiating with these notorious terrorists,” he stated.
The governor lamented that these negotiations are happening without his knowledge. When asked if he knew who was behind these negotiations, he indicated that he had some idea of the person’s identity.
As the negotiations with bandits spiraled out of control, Governor Lawal sought an audience with the president to express his concerns about the escalating insecurity.
“We have all the Special Forces sent to Zamfara State with the latest technology, but the problem still remains, as they were given instructions not to cross certain areas or boundaries,” the governor said.
Governor Lawal emphasized his stance against peace accords or reconciliation with the armed bandits, noting that previous negotiations had not yielded positive results.
“In Zamfara State, there have been numerous negotiations with the bandits, not once, not twice—what has happened?” he queried. “For God’s sake, how can someone begin to negotiate with the bandits from a point of weakness? One can only negotiate with bandits from a position of strength when they know that you mean business.”
Recently, the state police command announced the arrest of several prominent individuals in connection with banditry activities, including a member of the state House of Assembly, a district head, and a former local government chairman.
The status of these cases remains unclear at the time of filing this report.
