Northern leaders and stakeholders in the north have warned the Federal Government and Zamfara state government to stop playing politics with the lives of the people of the region following the face-off between them over the allegation that the Federal Government was secretly negotiating with bandits in Zamfara state without involving the state government.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, had accused the Federal Government of sabotaging the ongoing fight against banditry in the state by negotiating with bandits behind the state government. In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, the governor said a delegation allegedly sent by some agencies of the Federal Government had been holding talks with bandit groups in Zamfara without the knowledge of the State Government.
The Minister of Information, in a statement by his spokesperson Suleiman Haruna on Tuesday night however denied negotiating with bandits and accused the Zamfara governor of politicising security matters.
Reacting to the statement by the minister, Governor Dauda, insisted that the State Government possessed hard evidence of the Federal government’s sneaky negotiations with bandits, mentioning locations where such talks were held with bandits, such as Birnin Magaji, Maradun, Mun Haye, Ajah, Bawo, and Bagege.
According to him, “We have facts and evidence on what had transpired between these agents of the Federal Government and the bandits during the negotiations in several places across Zamfara”.
He noted that the minister of Information should have conducted a thorough investigation before discrediting the state government.
The Governor therefore warned that negotiating with bandits in Zamfara was a grave mistake, and not the solution to the problem as it would only encourage and embolden the criminals.
In their reactions, some leaders in the north expressed outrage that the Federal Government could be negotiating with bandits which never worked in the past and cautioned the government against such move.
They argued that by engaging in talks with bandits, the government was indirectly legitimizing their criminal activities and creating a dangerous cycle of appeasement, adding that the move was sending a troubling message that crime and violence can be rewarded rather than punished.
Source: Vanguard Newspaper
