Since his inauguration as governor of Zamfara state on May 29, Bello Muhammad Matawallen Maradun has consistently maintained that the first priority of his administration is on security. SANUSI MUHAMMAD examines the level of commitments so far.
There is no doubt that Governor Matawallen has engaged all the relevant stakeholders which include traditional, religious and community leaders on how to find an enduring solution to the lingering insecurity that has bedevilled the state for over eight years, a development that also led to the loss of over 5,000 innocent lives, rendered thousands of people homeless, leading to the erection of IDP camps for survivors.
Initially, it started as cattle rustling before it metamorphosed into armed banditry and kidnapping in which all the 14 local government councils of the state were affected.
However, during his inaugural speeches on May 29, 2019, Governor Matawalle said his mission is to ensure that Zamfara people sleep with their two eyes closed.
To that extent, the peace dialogue with bandits the state government initiated has started yielding positive results.
Two weeks after his inauguration, he rushed to President Muhammadu Buhari, vice president Yemi Osinbanjo and the Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Adamu, to discuss extensively with them about the security situation in the state, the policies he wants implemented by his administration to address the insecurity challenges in the state and also to seek President Buhari’s unflinching support in the effort to end the trend. The president, according to reports, pledged to support the new administration to fight against banditry and other form of criminalities in the state and across the country.
While at Osinbanjo office, Governor Matawalle solicited his total support to put an end to the criminal activities in the state. The vice president also promised to do everything humanly possible to ensure that relative peace returns to the state.
In the same vein, after his visit to the Force Headquarter, the IGP immediately approved the deployment of two Mobile Police Squadrons to the state. The two approved squadrons, it was gathered, would be utilised for the re-opening of the Colony-Faru-Kaya Shinkafi road, Zurmi-Jibia-Katsina Road which has virtually been taken over by the bandits, while others will be stationed at the main flashpoints being discovered by security agencies in the state.
Luckily enough for the state government, the IDP had posted a new commissioner of police in the person of Usman Nagoggo about two weeks earlier to the state. When Nagoggo came, he collaborated with the state government by initiating peace dialogue between the vigilante groups and armed bandits. Nagoggo in partnership with the state government held different meeting with the two aggrieved parties at JB Yakubu state secretariat in Gusau last month following the strong order given by the Gov Matawalle that extra-judicial killing of Fulani People by the group of outlawed members of vigilante groups in the state must stop. He told the entire 17 emirs that among them, whoever allows such atrocities to happen within their domain would be sanctioned in accordance with the laws.
The governor had earlier last month suspended the Emir of Maru, Alhaji Ibrahim Chika Banaga and the district head of Kanoma over the allegations labeled against them by their community for conniving with bandit groups who terrorised the communities.
The immediate outcomes
The peace dialogue between the state government and the bandits have started yielding positive results as just last week, over 51 Innocent people who were abducted were rescued without paying a ransom.
Among those rescued by the state government in collaboration with Zamfara state police command comprises 15 people who were kidnapped by bandits along Kaura Namoda, Zurmi and Shinkafi axis that include 13 men and two women. The rescued people were handed over to the governor by Nagoggo at the Government House, Gusau.
Nagoggo informed the governor that the 15 persons were released by the bandits as part of the ongoing peace accord initiated by the state government with a view to ending banditry and other criminal activities in the state.
Additionally, the state government also secured the release of 11 more abductees through the peace initiative. The victims who were held captive for more than two months were secured by the police boss and finally handed over to the state governor for onward decision.
Similarly, within the week under review, 25 Fulani people who were kidnapped since April 9, 2019 by the local vigilante popularly known as ‘Yansakai’ in Dansadau Emirate of Maru local government area of the state were also released. The 25 persons who were released by the Yansakai included men, women and children who were handed over to the governor by the police chief.
Governor Matawalle commended the effort of the police in the state for the feat achieved and urged them to maintain the tempo of restoring peace in the state.
Equally important, all the four international markets which includes, Shinkafi, Gurbin Bore, Kasuwar Daji and Dauran in Zamfara North Senatorial district have been reopened last week by the state government and all normal businesses have been returned by the marketers who are coming to the state to do their normal businesses as a result of peace dialogue with bandits and state government. These markets have been closed by the previous government for over two months due to activities of bandits in the state. Governor Matawalle said this followed series of discussion between his government and some of the leaders of bandits in which he secured their promise never to launch any attack or kidnap innocent people who enter the state for their day to day businesses.
“Some of the leaders of bandits called me on phone and promised not to go back to their dastardly acts and I assured them that whoever surrenders his arms voluntarily to the government would be given access to live freely without any harassment like any other law abiding citizens of my state,” Matawalle said.
In the same vain, the governor said he will soon accent the law that could give chance to his government to enforce death sentence to bandits who are not ready to surrender their arms to the government.
Matawalle’s plan to establish ruga settlements
In the meantime, Governor Matawalle has emphasised that his administration plans to establish three ruga settlements in the state as part of his efforts to complement the federal government’s commitment in ending insecurity in the country.
He made the pronouncement during a joint security meeting with heads of security, leaders of Miyyeti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and local vigilante in Gusau where he stated that all the necessary logistics like money and architectural design have been provided by his administration. He noted that his government is ready to mobilise everything towards establishing ruga settlement in each of the three senatorial districts.
For the project, 100 hectares of land, he said, would be used including the provision of social amenities like earth dams, primary and secondary schools, Islamiyya schools and two hospitals for human and that of the livestock.
Governor Matawalle stressed that if all the necessary measures are put in place, banditry would soon become history.
