Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle of Zamfara State, on Monday, met President Mohamed Bazoum of the Niger Republic as part of efforts to end all forms of armed banditry in Nigeria and the Niger Republic.
The Press Secretary to the governor, Jamilu Iliyasu Birnin Magaji, said the two leaders met at the Presidential Palace, Niamey.
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The meeting was meant to discuss issues of insecurity, especially in North-West Nigeria and the Niger Republic and resolved to explore more areas of support and cooperation between the Niger Republic and Zamfara State in particular.
Governor Matawalle briefed President Bazoum on the measures taken by his administration to end all forms of criminal activities in the region.
The governor said apart from the peace initiative and reconciliation process he initiated, his administration had provided intelligence to security agents on how best to trace informants who provide information to the armed bandits and their collaborators.
He said his administration had placed CCTV cameras that would monitor all the activities and movements of people in the state capital, with the aim of tracking and tracing criminal hideouts and their nefarious activities.
“Governor Bello Matawalle said his administration would donate five brand new vehicles to the Government of Niger Republic to provide special border patrol at Maradi and other parts of the Niger Republic which share a border with Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto States.
“The governor said the…vehicles would be handed over to the Governor of Maradi Region in a ceremony to hold later with the approval of President Mohamed Bazoum,” the statement further read.
He requested a regular meeting on security with the Nigerien Minister of Defence, the Governor of Maradi and the Governor of Zamfara State as well as those of Katsina and Sokoto States, so as to bring an end to the lingering security challenges facing the two countries.
Responding, President Bazoum thanked Governor Bello Matawalle for the visit and all the major efforts he has taken to end the problems of insecurity affecting the two countries, especially with the border of Maradi and North-Western Nigeria.
President Mohamed Bazoum urged Matawalle to continue with the efforts taken to address insecurity in Zamfara by providing new methods to achieve peace already enjoyed in the region, saying the Government of the Niger Republic is ready to support in the fight against insecurity.
President Bazoum also requested governors of Nigeria to implement a total ban on the importation of motorcycles into Nigeria.
The president noted that the problem of Armed banditry across the Niger Republic is coming from Madawa and Bayan Dutsi and escalated to Nigeria through the region of Maradi, but hoped that with the meeting and support provided to the Nigerien government by Governor Matawalle, the issue would be a thing of the past.
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