Zamfara governor, Lawal, insists no dialogue with bandits

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has once again reiterated that his government will never negotiatiate or go into dialogue with bandits terrorising the state as he has vowed to take the battle to the criminals until they are chased out.

Lawal who made the vow on Friday in Gusau at a weekly preaching session organised by the State’s Ministry of Religious Affairs, insisted on his administration’s uncompromising stance in the fight against bandits across the state.

“I still maintain my stand on non-negotiation with bandits as I announced earlier on. How can you reconcile with somebody who goes out to kill and kidnap people just for the sake of money? How many times did the past administrations reconcile with the bandits? Did that work?” Lawal queried.

Lawal, however, gave a condition for reconciliation, saying if the bandits decide to come out of the forest and surrender their weapons, then there could be grounds for a soft landing for them.

Read also: Zamfara govt accuses Nigerian govt of undermining fight against banditry in state

“If they want reconciliation, let them surrender their weapons and come out for negotiation. If they have not done so, I will pursue them and fight them until they give up. I repeat, there is no reconciliation with somebody who does not value lives.

“I am calling on the people of the state, particularly the politicians to stop playing politics with security.

“I want to make a passionate appeal to all the former governors of the state to please come out and join hands with my administration so that we can rescue our state which has been groping in the dark due to security challenges,” he called.

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