KADUNA — The Arewa Elders Initiative and Interactive Forum have adopted the security strategy of Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle of Zamfara State to tackle the menace of saboteurs.
According to a press statement signed and issued by the group’s national chairman, Mr. Alhassan Gwadabe, after a two-day interactive session with some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Kaduna tagged, ‘Emerging challenges facing the North West and Issues behind the success of the fight against banditry and kidnapping ahead of 2023 Elections’.
The Governor noted that the activities of the saboteurs have been slowing down the war against insurgency and other criminal activities in the Northwest zone of the country.
“The new formula employed by Governor Matawalle, including arrest of informants, telecommunication networks shutdown, ban on the sale of petrol and exposing collaborators in communities, demolishing their structures and removal of community leaders accused of connivance and negligence were positively restoring peace to the region,” it said..
According to the statement, the elders urged President Muhammadu Buhari, service chiefs and Governors of the zone to come up with new strategies and tactics that could ensure huge success in the ongoing fight against banditry in the region, especially with the recent reports of the escalation of banditry and killing of innocent people in parts of Niger and Kebbi states.
The group unanimously agreed that the greatest challenge in the fight against bandits, now declared as terrorists, is to apply the non-kinetic methods introduced by Matawalle by arresting informants, using the traditional and political solutions and supporting vigilante groups.
