By KEMI KASUMU and IBRAHIM KANOMA, Gusau
An assessment of North West security in the last 60 days conducted by The DEFENDER Newspaper Nigeria has concluded with pass marks for leaderships of the two states used as case study, so far, Sokoto and Zamfara.
The assessment, which started with what was generally described as the fascinating attitude of Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to management of what could have snowballed into a large scale security imbroglio following the blasphemy crisis leading to the death of Deborah Yakubu Samuel in the state, concluded Friday July 1, 2022 with a coincidental rain of praises on Governor of Zamfara State, Hon. Mohammed Bello Matawalle over his proactive measures at taming the solid mineral-based banditry problem in the North West state.
In Sokoto, Governor Tambuwal’s intelligence antenna going high up to know what to do at the right time, and quickly too, had sustained the Sokoto’s status as Nigeria’s most peaceful state and this particularly rang bell in the reactions we got inside and outside of the Nigeria’s seat of Islam leadership.
“Governor Tambuwal did well and, believe me, I saw him as a war general in Government House with the actions he took. He started out by condemning irresponsible acts capable of denting the existing peaceful co-existence among people of various religious and ethnic backgrounds in the state, frowned people taking the law into their hands under whatever circumstances and followed that up with summoning of security council meeting involving heads of security services in the state; the military, police, Department of State Service (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
“In furtherance to that, when the matter was going beyond hand as youths protested with apparently bold activity demanding the release of arrested suspects with respect to the killing of the girl and, even the Bishop Matthew Kukah that usually attacks Muslims wrong, began to speak softly to say it was not religious crisis for fear of his life, Governor Tambuwal proved the existence of government in the state. He declared 24-hour curfew indefinitely and he meant business with it.
“It was a sad experience in the life of Sokoto but the peaceful state surmounted the challenge, which some political elements concerned only about their selfish interest they call permanent in politics would have taken advantage of to set the Seat if Caliphate on fire.
“The Governor’s many underreported efforts at taming the banditry situation in the state are not hidden from us. I only must appreciate you, The DEFENDER, for deeming it fit to do us the favour of letting people, who would have otherwise been unwell because of sickening reports they are getting from the state, to know that yes we have our challenges, America has its own, other parts of Nigeria have their own but we have a government here in Sokoto, led by Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who has been well footed on the ground tacking the security challenges,” one of our sources had said.
In Zamfara, the problem has been scary to warrant justification for order by the state government of Hon Mohammed Bello Matawalle letting residents obtain guns to defend themselves against the evil merchants called bandits. This order was ignited by new wave of rising kidnapping and banditry cases witnessed in the state.
Although criticised on the ground that guns getting into the hands of individuals will worse the security situation in the state, Governor Matawalle has insisted that it is sadly the option available for now in the face of insecurity in the state where bandits harass people on daily basis.
We gathered that, although they have no such liver to operate day time inside Gusau but, they come in the night to the houses of their targets and kidnap for ransom. The case of Zamfara is more worrisome due to the fact that about 75 percentage of the populace are involved in the baditry, a situation that saw to Governor Matawalle suspending and deposing a number of Emirs and District Heads in recent times for their involvement in the act.
Part of the efforts to tame the tide of the problem was the collaboration of Zamfara State Government with government of the Republic of Niger. He procured security vans and presented them to the neighbouring country’s government security on border patrol in effort to fight bandits along the border that joins Nigeria and Niger together on that axis.
Governor Matawalle few days ago, threw his weight behind death penalty on those convicted for banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and cultism other incidental offences in the state, when he signed into law a bill passed by the Zamfara State House of Assembly prohibiting and punishing such crimes.
The new law provides that any person found guilty of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, cultism or being an informant to the bandits is liable to death penalty.
Also under the law, anyone found guilty of aiding and or abetting the crimes mentioned is liable to life, twenty years or ten years imprisonment without option of fine.
To this end, the Zamfara State Governor Mohammed Bello Matawalle has been praised by Nigerians from all walks of life, on his government’s proactiveness and other actions being taken against the insecurity in the state.
Citizens, who thronged an early morning phone-in radio programme, which discussed security issues in the state, commended the latest action of the government on kidnappers.
Most of the callers indicated that this pronouncement was long overdue in order to checkmate the current rising kidnapping cases not just in Zamfara state but generally in the country.
However, while the state’s call for the citizens to take up arms, met with some form of reservations from different quarters, the current call for death penalty for kidnappers caught, has elicited great commendation for the government.
Matawalle was also commended on the radio phone-in programme for his foresight in providing good governance and infrastructure in the state and also for his usual swift responses to issues that affect the citizens of his state.
