Politicians frustrated dialogue with bandits — Gov Matawalle

The Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, said on Friday politicians frustrated the government’s reconciliatory move with bandits in the state.

The governor initiated dialogue with bandits last year in a bid to address the state security challenges.

The criminals had attacked schools and other soft targets since 2020.

Matawalle, who disclosed this when he featured in a programme on Radio Now 95.3FM in Zamfara, said politicians who had connections with the bandits told them not to take the government serious on the planned amnesty and reconciliation.

He said security agencies had obtained confessions from more than 2000 informants who indicted several politicians in the state.

READ ALSO: Court to hear suit challenging Matawalle, lawmakers’ defection to APC January 18

The governor said: “After we initiated the dialogue with bandits which was supposed to be a collective effort between the government, the people of the state and other political gladiators, unfortunately, while the government was trying to make sure we had peace, some political elites were thinking they did not want us to succeed.

“So, they were making so many negative comments about the dialogue and the reconciliation. And some of them who had connections with the criminals told them all sorts of things so that they would not believe the government’s amnesty and reconciliation.

“We have records on information from the bandits. We have over 2000 informants in the custody of security agencies, and some of them have opened up and indicted so many people.

“They said some of the politicians were funding them, telling them the state and federal governments were not serious on the amnesty and reconciliation.”

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