Bello Matawalle, the former governor of Zamfara State, recently shared a video on Channels Television that outlined his proactive strategy for combating the widespread banditry that afflicts the area. He identified a critical issue as soon as he assumed office: “When I became a governor, I looked at this and wondered what is happening.” Why are robbers in Zamfara killing civilians? This self-examination led him to look for a complete way out of the predicament.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
To tackle the situation effectively, Governor Matawalle sought advice from various sectors, culminating in a stakeholders meeting. He called upon traditional rulers, religious leaders, security agencies, leaders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and leaders of the Vigilante group. “I wanted to hear from each group differently, not combining them together,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of understanding the unique perspectives of each stakeholder.
Following these discussions, Matawalle engaged with security agencies, including the police, Army, Department of State Services (DSS), and immigration. “We sat down together based on the recommendations we received from the people of the state and the traditional rulers,” he recounted. The consensus from these deliberations indicated that dialogue with the bandits was the most viable option at that time.
According to him, “Let me tell you, yes, I initiated the reconciliation dialogue because when I became a governor, I looked at this and wondered what is happening. Why are bandits killing people in Zamfara? So, I was thinking about the best way to tackle this situation. I have been getting a lot of advice from different sectors, which led me to call a stakeholders meeting.”
“At that time, I called the traditional rulers, I called the religious leaders, the security agencies, the leaders of the PDP, and the leaders of the Vigilante group. I wanted to hear from each group differently, not combining them together. So, after we finished discussions, I sat down with the security agencies.”
“I remember that the security agencies comprised the police, the Army, DSS, and immigration— all of them. So, we sat down together based on the recommendations we received from the people of the state and the traditional rulers.”
“We had a recommendation that the only option at that time was for us to dialogue with the bandits. Was it a success? Did it work? Let me tell you, that was the recommendation we had. After I sat down with all the security agencies, they were alive. We had some of the CPS who rose to the rank of DCP and some AIGs. They were all alive. We had some of them who are now retired generals.”CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
