The Zamfara State government has lampooned the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency to allow the fight against banditry to succeed.
In a statement on issued on Saturday by the spokesperson of the APC, Yusuf Idris, the party accused Governor Dauda Lawal of sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government in the fight against banditry in the state through media campaigns.
“The current onslaught on bandits/terrorists in Zamfara State by the military in the northwestern states under the coordination/supervision of the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle on the instructions and directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu certainly, is yielding unpredictable unprecedented results,” the APC said.
“Bandits’ leaders and their gangs who hitherto thought they were powerful as they laid siege on the region have been subdued by the current development. The Federal Government’s fight against banditry is quite impressive and needs to be sustained at all costs so that the region will be free from all forms of criminalities.
“But as a party, we observe with dismay how the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, is trying to sabotage the ongoing onslaught through his media campaigns to distract the effort of the Federal Government under the coordination of the Minister of State for Defence to succeed. This is why we call on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on Zamfara to spoil the mischievous plan.”
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The party noted that President Bola Tinubu’s directives to Matawalle to lead the Defence Headquarters with the Chief of Defence Staff to eliminate the bandits operating has been successful, but expressed dismay that Lawal is not doing much regarding security since he took over the mantle of leadership as the state governor in May last year.
However, while reacting to the accusation, the Director-General of Media and Communications in the Government House, Gusau, Alhaji Nuhu Anka, described the call by the APC to declare the state of emergency in Zamfara state as not only shameless and laughable.
In a statement on Sunday morning, Anka accused Matawalle of romancing with bandits during his tenure as governor.
“Everybody knows that the former Governor was romancing with the bandits during his tenure. He defended them and gave them vehicles and money which made them more powerful and difficult to eliminate by the security personnel,” Anka said.
“We all saw a video clip in the social media where a prominent Islamic cleric, Mallam Bello Assada was attacking Bello Mattawalle’s relationship with bandits’ leaders. Mallam Assada categorically mentioned that Matawalle had during his tenure provided vehicles and logistics to bandits’ leaders.
“We also know what happened when he (Matawalle) directed a traditional ruler to confer a traditional title to a notorious bandits’ leader Ado Aliero. How can a party that produced Matawalle as a governor of the state be calling on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara State? Who is fooling who? This is shameful and laughable,” he added.
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