Public Analyst Warns: Politicizing Banditry Will Not Restore Peace In Zamfara

Public Analyst Warns: Politicizing Banditry Will Not Restore Peace In Zamfara

A public commentator in Zamfara State, Alhaji Ahmad Bakare has lamented that politicising security matters cannot restore peace and stability in the state.

Bakare urged the federal and state governments to redouble their efforts to face the ravaging bandits on fire for fire operations, assuring that peace and stability will be restored.

“The bandits are not more powerful than the government, unless the government does not want to act. There are many unseen hands in the banditry issue, but they are untouchables and sacred cows,” he lamented.

“If the government wants to eliminate banditry, it will close its eyes against those sponsoring banditry, if there are sacred cows and untouchables, how then can peace be restored in Nigeria?”

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ireporteronline in Gusau, Bakare noted that many people are accusing the Minister of State, Defense, Bello Matawalle, of sponsoring bandits instead of finding solution to the teething problem.

“We all know that pointing accusing fingers at Matawalle is politically motivated,” he added.

According to him, the minister tried his best to end banditry when he was the state governor, through peace accord and reconciliation with the bandits, but the bandits leaders sabotaged him.

“Matawalle’s mother was a Fulani woman and the former governor initiated the peace accord and reconciliation to pacify the Fulani bandits to stop tarnishing the image and reputation of the Fulani people.

“You and I could bear witness that when the peace accord and reconciliation was going on, a lot of the bandits surrendered their arms and ammunition, including AK-47 riffles.

“During the reconciliation, the armed bandits did not kill or kidnap anyone in the state as the process of cease-fire was ongoing.

“The truth is that former Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle was just unfortunate that the peace accord and reconciliation did not work out perfectly,” he said.

Bakare urged the federal and state governments to, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of banditry in the country, saying that farmers can longer access their farmlands due to the fear that they may be killed or kidnapped for ransom.

“There are professional farmers that used to produce up to ten bags of rice, corn, millets, beans and assorted foodstuffs in the past. But they cannot produce up to that number now because of banditry activities.

“No farmer can produce such number of crops in Gusau, the state capital, because there are not enough lands for farming activities in the urban areas.”

He further stated that Nigeria is experiencing good scarcity because the bandits do not allow the farmers to engage in farming.