Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has declared that he possesses actionable intelligence on the hideouts of bandits terrorising the state but is handicapped because security agencies in the state take orders only from Abuja.
In a viral video, the governor said he could end banditry in Zamfara within two months if he had direct control over the military, police, and other security operatives.
“I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandit leader is in Zamfara State, I know it. If he goes out, I know. With my phone, I can show you where they are today. But we cannot do anything beyond our powers,” Lawal lamented.
The governor became emotional while recounting how security operatives failed to act during an attack in Shinkafi Local Government Area, insisting that troops refused to mobilise because they were awaiting clearance from Abuja.
“If today I have the power to give orders to the security agencies, I can assure you we will end banditry in Zamfara within two months. Most of the time I shed tears for my people because I see the problem but I cannot order the security men to act in time,” he added.
Despite the limitations, Lawal said his administration had invested heavily in security operations. According to him, 150 patrol vehicles have been distributed to the Police, Army, DSS and Civil Defence, while thousands of Community Protection Guards and 2,000 hunters recruited from Borno and Yobe states have been deployed to assist in combating bandits.
“The politicisation of insecurity is not hurting me as a person; it is destroying Zamfara. Some people do not want us to succeed. But I will not stop trying,” the governor stressed.
Zamfara has remained one of the epicentres of banditry in northern Nigeria, with communities suffering incessant attacks, mass killings, kidnappings and forced displacement. Protests have erupted in Gusau, the state capital, with residents accusing political leaders of abandoning them to their fate.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu recently hinted at creating state police, alongside deploying drones and forest guards, to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against insecurity.
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