The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has expressed his disappointment with the way the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the military have been allegedly handling the fight against banditry in his state.
He lamented that there was no political will to eliminate banditry in the state and the country at large.
Lawal, who bared his mind when he featured on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday, accused the nation’s security personnel of having a laid-back attitude in the fight against the violent criminals.
He said with the right political will the bandits could be eliminated within two weeks.
He added that the uninspiring attitude of Federal Government-controlled security agencies was responsible for the creation of the state security outfit, Community Protection Guards in January.
The governor said: “We, as governors, don’t have control over the military, we don’t have control over the police as well as the civil defence. In most cases, we get frustrated.
“When you need these people, they are nowhere to be found and the best thing to do is to set up that kind of security outfit.
“Sometimes, you’re really helpless. When you need them (security agents), they are not there. Even when they are there, they are given certain instructions on what to do and what not to do.
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“In two weeks, we can take care of the situation but the political will is not there.
“We know who they (bandits) are. We know where they live. It’s just that there is no political will.
“At a point, I had to really come and say it clearly because when we are trying to take care of the situation, somebody somewhere is negotiating with the bandits without my knowledge
“Zamfara State has become the hub of banditry in Nigeria. If you can take care of Zamfara today, you have solved more than 90 percent of issues in northern Nigeria as a whole.”
Lawal revealed that he had met with President Bola Tinubu to complain about the saboteurs to the security challenges in the state.
He stated that Tinubu assured him that something would be done to address the challenges.
He, however, affirmed that the security outfits set up by states to complement security agencies in their states have been handicapped in their operations due to several factors, including lack of licence to bear assault rifles and superior weapons to confront deadly insurgents and criminals.
He then acknowledged that with a constitutional backing, the security outfits will live up to their full potential.
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