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‘I will never negotiate with bandits’ —Zamfara Gov Lawal

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has debunked reports that he has been engaging bandits in the state in negotiations following a recent case of mass abductions where about 50 people were reportedly kidnapped in the Maradun Local Government Area on Sunday.
Lawal who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday night, described the news as false and inaccurate, insisting that his administration will never consider negotiating with bandits.
Lawal who also denied knowledge of the said abduction, however, said he has tasked the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter as well as deploy operatives to the affected areas.
“I am not aware of that incident. I am here in Zamfara State, I haven’t heard about that incident,” Lawal said.
“I am not aware that 50 people were kidnapped in Maradun Local Government. Whosever gave you that information is not correct.”
He also stated that the state government is not contemplating any form of negotiating or striking a deal with the militants for peace to reign in the state.
“My position has always been very clear in terms of negotiation and the nature of negotiation with these bandits.
“I am not in a rush in negotiating with these people. I am not going to negotiate with any bandit. That has always been my stand. I believe you can only negotiate at a point of strength and not as a point of weakness,” the governor added.
Lawal, however, disclosed that the state government is working closely with the police, military, and other security agencies to tackle state insecurity, noting that the collaboration has paid off as kidnapping incidents have drastically reduced.
“There may be so pockets of kidnapping here and there, that I can’t rule. These and all the measures put in place are not what it used to be in the past. In the past, hardly a day passed by without hearing that 300 people were being killed.
“Within the last six months, I don’t think there has been any such incident reported in Zamfara State. Insecurity is there, but we are making conscious efforts to make sure that we handle that to the best of our ability,” he added.
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