Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, has said he can end banditry in the state within two months if given direct control over security agencies.
The Governor made the claim in a viral video where he expressed frustration at what he described as limitations of his office.
“I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandit leader is in Zamfara State, I know it. If he goes out, I know. With my phone, I can show you where they are today. But we cannot do anything beyond our powers,” Lawal said.
He lamented that security operatives in the state take orders from Abuja and not from him as the chief security officer.
The Governor recalled an incident in Shinkafi Local Government Area where bandits attacked, but security forces failed to move without clearance from the federal government.
“If today I have the power to give orders to the security agencies, I can assure you, we will end banditry in Zamfara within two months,” he said. “Most of the time I shed tears for my people, because I see the problem but I cannot order the security men to act in time.”
Lawal said his government has been supporting security operations despite not having direct control. He disclosed that 150 patrol vehicles were provided to the Police, Army, DSS and Civil Defence, while thousands of Community Protection Guards and 2,000 hunters from Borno and Yobe states were recruited to assist in the fight.
“The politicisation of insecurity is not hurting me as a person; it is destroying Zamfara. Some people do not want us to succeed. But I will not stop trying,” he added.
Zamfara has experienced repeated attacks, kidnappings, and killings by bandits, leaving many villages displaced.
Amnesty International reported in March that over 273 people had been killed, 467 abducted, and 481 villages sacked across the state.
Several protests have been held in Gusau, the state capital, with residents accusing leaders of failing to protect them.
President Bola Tinubu has said the federal government is considering the creation of state police, as well as the use of drones and forest guards, to strengthen security in troubled states like Zamfara.
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