Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State says President Bola Tinubu is not getting proper security briefings on the operations of bandits in the state.
Lawal stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, stressing that if the government was committed, banditry could be eradicated in two weeks.
“While we are trying to take care of the situation, somebody, somewhere, somehow, behind our back, is negotiating with bandits… as a governor of a state, without my knowledge,” he said.
“When the situation really got bad, I had to meet Mr President and complain one-on-one, and I told him the true situation of what Zamfara is facing in terms of security.”
When asked if he believes the president is “properly briefed” on the actual state of things, the governor said: “Based on the conversation we had, the answer is no. And I had to explain everything to him, what we are going through and what needs to be done.
“Zamfara state has become the hub of banditry in northern Nigeria. If you can take care of Zamfara today, believe me, you’d have solved 90 percent of the banditry issue in northern Nigeria as a whole.
“If we are committed, if we are serious, we can take care of this situation within two weeks maximum. But the political will is not there,” he said.
Lawal, had, after the meeting with President Tinubu on March 26, described Zamfara as the “centre of banditry” in northern Nigeria.
According to him, the spate of insecurity in Zamfara may consume the northern part of the country if not urgently addressed.
