No plans to negotiate with bandits, others, Zamfara Govt insists

The Zamfara State Government on Tuesday announced that there were no plans to dialogue or negotiate with terrorists or any other criminal group but would wage war against them until they were banned from the state. The Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Nakwada stated this while addressing journalists about the activities of the present administration of Governor Dauda Lawal and that of his immediate predecessor, Bello Matawalle.

Matawalle’s government had initiated a peace dialogue with the bandits which was later stopped in September 2021 due to persistent bandit attacks on rural communities in the state. Nakwada however stated that the current administration had no plan to initiate any reconciliation efforts or have discussions with the terrorists.

Rather, the SSG said the mission of Lawal’s government is to go after the such criminals wherever they may be hiding to flush them out of the state and restore order and peace. He expressed the administration’s commitment to ensuring accurate record-keeping, transparency and accountability in governance.

Nakwada warned that any public official who falls short of these ideals in the discharge of his or her duty would face the consequences. Meanwhile, the SSG has revealed that the state government is in talks with the National Examination Council (NECO) to resolve the three years backlog of unpaid examination fees by the past administration.