We Are Spending So Much To Gather Intelligence On Bandits – Gov Lawal

The Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, has said his administration has been spending so much to gather information on the movement of bandits.

Dauda Lawal said his political will to address the attacks of bandits across the state has been paying off as farmers can now go to their farms to cultivate.

He stated that the formation of local security, Community Protection Guard (CPG) by his administration has also helped to reduce the consistency of bandits attack in the state.

Speaking with Arise TV, on Tuesday, Lawal said, “Let me start by admitting the fact that the state has been in this situation for the past 13 years. It is something that we inherited. And part of what we did or what we’re doing right now is to make sure we put so much effort. And priority has always been our concern. That was the reason why when I came on board, I formed the Community Protection Guard that is called CPG.

“The whole essence of this is to complement the effort of the conventional security in terms of combating this menace that we’re facing the state. And I will say that they’re doing very well in terms of assisting the conventional security because they understand the trend much better than the conventional security. So they provide the lead. And that is what is happening right now.

“So far, we’ve seen a lot of success. The story is changing. In the past, if you hear anything about Zamfara, you realize that 200 people, 300 people are being killed. But right now, it’s not the case. There has been some spontaneous attack here and there, but not the way it used to be in the past. So we’re making progress.”

Speaking further on gains his administration has made with the formation of CPG, Governor Lawal continued, “Some weeks back, I went around all the local government in the states and I’ve seen the level of agricultural development this time around, which wasn’t the case in the past. So that is to show you that something is being done. And that is why people now have the ability to go to their farms and farm. That is ongoing.

“And of course, it’s a state that has been in this situation, like I said, for the past 13 years. So there will always be issues here and there, saying all sort of things. And remember also, some are just for negative reason, not for the positive aspects.

“Because some would rather see everything negative about security so that they can use that against you. But the reality is, we are making significant progress. If you have time, I will take you around the state for you to go and see. They say seeing is believing. So yes, we are making progress.”

The Zamfara State Governor noted that his political will to save the state from the hands of bandits was responsible for the gains recorded in addressing insecurity in the state.

“First of all, there is the political will on my own part as a governor. And I’ve taken security as one of the major, major issue, number one, under my administration, which was the reason why we formed the CPG.

“And also, we’re spending so much to make sure we have intelligence information in terms of movement of these people, which has been provided by the locals. And there’s so much community awareness now for people to be able to report any suspicious movement by these people. And it’s making things much easier than the way things used to be.

“So the political will is number one. And that is why we’re making this significant progress. Security is key to everything, without which there’ll be no meaningful development. That is the difference,” Governor Lawal noted.