Zamfara Govt Plans To Expose FG On Secret Negotiation With Bandits

Post created on 1:19 pm

Zamfara state for years has been under the hit of bandits, terrorists and its like, but it took a new turn on Tuesday as Governor Dauda Lawal of the state said they have facts of federal government agents who are negotiating secretly with bandits in the state.

Governor Lawal raised the alarm that they had enough evidence to show that the federal government had been holding talks with bandit groups in the state without his knowledge.

In another twist, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, said the state government of Zamfara are only politicizing security in the state.

However, Sulaiman Bala Idris, spokesman to the state governor in a statement said the evidence is so glaring against the federal government.

Further stating that the Information Minister should have conducted a thorough investigation before discrediting the State Government.

The statement released, read in parts: “We sought clarification from the Federal Government regarding the sneaky negotiations with bandits carried out by some of its agents without recourse to the State Government and heads of Security agencies in the State.

“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.

“It is disappointing that the information minister discredited our claim without verifying it first. What is expected of him as a professional is to collaborate with relevant authorities to substantiate the claim’s authenticity.

“Zamfara State Government respects protocol and established authority. We would not come out in the media to start exposing the names of the Federal Government agents involved in the covert dialogue with bandits.

“We want to clarify that those individuals leading secret negotiations with bandits in Zamfara are politicising insecurity, not the State Government.

“The Information Minister’s statement claiming that there were no negotiations between government officials and bandits in Zamfara requires further clarification. We have already exposed a few locations where such talks were held with bandits, such as Birnin Magaji, Maradun, Mun Haye, Ajah, Bawo, and Bagege.

“Negotiating with bandits in Zamfara is a grave mistake we cannot afford to make. It is not the solution to the problem and only encourages and emboldens the criminals. We urge the Federal Government to take a firm stance against such activities and investigate the motives of those who engage in them.”

[SA]