Zamfara governor reaffirms focus on combating insecurity against all odds

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has declared that his administration remains undeterred in its commitment to combating insecurity despite setbacks being fueled by vested interests, working tirelessly to frustrate his efforts in the fight against banditry and other criminalities in the state.

Mr Lawal spoke on Thursday while declaring open the Northwest zonal conference of state directors of security (SDS) for the fourth quarter 2024, hosted by the Zamfara Department of State Security Services (DSS) in Gusau, the state capital.

The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Mohammad Nakwada, added that the recent tactical change by bandit-terrorists through planting explosive devices on soft targets is cowardly and a kick of a dying horse.

“Let me reiterate that the state government under my watch is focused on combating security challenges in spite of the setbacks fueled by vested interests to frustrate our noblest intentions.

“We are working in close synergy with security, law enforcement agencies and other relevant stakeholders to stem the unfortunate security trend in our dear state.

“The recent adoption of use of explosives by bandits is a desperate attempt to prevent troops from reaching out to their enclaves while also attempting to intimidate locals to succumb to their threats,” Mr Lawal said.

The governor has also called for deliberations on the activities of the Lukurawa group to ensure that they did not escalate into a more daring security threat.

“The activities of the Lukurawa group, especially in our zone, have become a subject of security deliberations. These issues make the need for constant review of the situation very necessary and I hope that this conference will give informed priority to discuss the emerging trend,” the governor stressed.

He also highlighted a series of proactive measures taken by his administration towards addressing the security situation in the state, including establishing Security Trust Fund, Community Protection Guards, intelligence sharing and provision of logistical support to security agencies, regular security council meetings, issuing executive orders blocking logistics supply to the bandits and banning traditional leaders from issuing mining consent letters among others.

“These measures have yielded successes as seen in the dislodgement of several bandit hideouts across the state through clearance operations by both the ground troops and air component, leading to the successful neutralization of many bandit kingpins including Halilu Sububu and Damina,” he added.

Earlier, the State Director of DSS, Shehu Usman thanked and appreciated the state government for holistically sponsoring the conference and for its consistent support to all security establishments in the state.