Gov Matawalle meets Nigerien President Bazoum, seeks border border patrol to end banditry
By IBRAHIM KANOMA, Gusau
The Governor of Zamfara State, North West Nigeria, Hon. Mohammed Bello Matawalle, has visited the President of Niger Republic, Mohamed Bazoum, as part of effort to end all forms of armed banditry between the country and Nigeria.
The two leaders met at the Presidential Palace, Niamey, where they discussed issues of insecurity especially in North West Nigeria, Niger Republic and resolved to explore more areas of support and cooperation between Niger Republic and Zamfara State in particular.
Governor Bello Matawalle expressed delight to President Bazoum for the opportunity given to him and Zamfara State Government to discuss issues of security, especially kidnapping, cattle rustling and armed banditry in Maradi Region and parts of Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto States.
He, however, briefed the Nigerien Leader on the measures taken by his administration to end all forms of criminal activities in the region.
The governor said apart from peace initiative and reconciliation process he initiated, his administration has also provided intelligence to security agents on how best to trace informants, who provide information to the armed bandits and their collaborators.
He said his administration has placed CCTV cameras that willl monitor all the activities and movements of people in the state capital, with the aim of tracking and tracing criminal hideouts and their nefarious activities.
Governor Matawalle said his Administration will donate five brand new Hilux vehicles to the Government of Niger Republic to provide special border patrol at Maradi and other parts of Niger Republic, which shares border with Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states.
The governor said the brand new Hilux vehicles will be handed over to the Governor of Maradi Region in a ceremony to hold later with the approval of President Mohamed Bazoum.
He requested for a regular meeting on security with the Nigerien Minister of Defence, the Governor of Maradi and Governor of Zamfara State as well as his counterparts in Katsina and Sokoto states, so as to bring an end to the lingering security challenges facing the two countries.
Responding, the President of the Republic of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, thanked Governor Bello Matawalle for the visit and all the major efforts he has taken to end the problems of insecurity affecting the two countries, especially with the border of Maradi and North West Nigeria.
President Bazoum urged the governor to continue with the efforts taken to address insecurity in Zamfara by providing new methods to achieve the sustenance of peace already enjoyed in the region, pointing out that, the government of Niger Republic is ever ready to support the government of Zamfara State in the fight against insecurity.
He also requested governors of Nigeria to implement total ban on importation of motorcycles into Nigeria.
The president noted that the problem of armed banditry across Niger Republic is coming from Madawa and Bayan Dutsi and escalated to Nigeria through the Region of Maradi, but hoped that with the meeting and support provided to the Nigerien government by Governor Bello Matawalle, the issue will be a thing of the past.
The meeting was attended by Niger’s Ministers of Defence and Internal Affairs, the Chief of Staff to President Mohamed Bazoum, and all the Service Chiefs of the Republic of Niger and the country’s Inspector General of Police.
This was contained in a press release signed by the Press Secretary to Governor Bello Matawalle Jamilu Iliyasu Bu/magaji, issued in Gusau and copy given to The DEFENDER.
