Zamfara State Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle has formally handed over 200 operational vehicles to security agencies in the state to aid the fight against banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling.
He expressed confidence that with the provision of the vehicles, the logistics problems faced by the security agents operating at various theatres across the state would be effectively and significantly addressed.
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The governor urged bandits to submit to either the peace process or be dealt with ruthlessly, warning that criminals would soon be taken out at their hideouts.
He said his government had decided to adopt the carrot and stick approach to stop killings in the state and had tremendously achieved peace through the process.
“If you compare how we met this state to the present situation, every just human being knows that peace has returned to our communities,” he said.
He wondered why people were blaming President Muhammadu Buhari over the surge in the spate of insecurity in the country, noting that security is everybody’s responsibility.
He said the Federal Government could not succeed in curbing insecurity alone without the much-needed support of the state governments.
“The security operatives are sacrificing their lives in the ongoing fight against armed banditry and many of them have lost their lives in the cause of these operations. But our society does not mourn them. Rather, we amplify the atrocities committed by these miscreants.
“Based on the experience of our state within the past one year of peace dialogue and reconciliation, I recently wrote President Muhammadu Buhari to offer our suggestion on the need to form a North West Security and Peace Committee to effectively handle the intractable security challenges bedevilling the sub-region over the years,” he said.