Dauda Lawal, the Governor of Zamfara State on Tuesday stated his authorities has sufficient details and proof to reveal the brokers of the Federal Authorities behind the key negotiation with bandits.
The Governor stated this in response to an announcement on Monday by Mohammed Idris, the minister of data and nationwide orientation, accusing his authorities of politicising safety after it disclosed that the federal authorities negotiated secretly with bandits to rescue 16 feminine college students and a few employees kidnapped from the Federal College, Gusua, However shortly after, the state governor.
The troops of the Nigerian Military had rescued the abductees barely 72 hours after they have been kidnapped by armed males on September 22.
After the discharge, Lawal, had in an announcement signed by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris accused the Federal Authorities of sabotaging the continued struggle towards banditry within the state by negotiating with bandits behind the state authorities.
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Within the assertion, Lawal stated, “Reviews indicated {that a} delegation allegedly despatched by some companies of the Federal Authorities has been holding talks with bandit teams in Zamfara with out the information of the State Authorities”.
He referred to as on the Federal Authorities to make clear and examine the actions of some unscrupulous components sabotaging the continued struggle towards banditry in Zamfara.
Responding to the allegation, the minister of data, in an announcement by his spokesperson Suleiman Haruna on Tuesday evening denied negotiating with bandits and accused the Zamfara governor of politicising safety issues.
“Reasonably than respect safety brokers and Federal Authorities establishments for the immediate effort to rescue the kidnapped college students of the Federal College Gusau, selected to play politics with the delicate matter for reasonable political targets”, the assertion learn.
“The Minister observes that Federal Authorities establishments are empowered by legislation to spring to motion, with or with out prompting, to make sure protected return of residents illegally taken hostage, like within the case of those hapless college students. The truth that particulars of such delicate operations are usually not revealed by the establishments accountable doesn’t make it in any method surreptitious, because the Zamfara State Authorities atrociously described this effort.
“For the avoidance of doubt, that no official of the Federal Authorities is engaged in negotiation with any bandit or group of bandits. The federal government, nevertheless, maintains its resolve to discover each obtainable avenue that may result in de-escalation of stress and produce again peace to communities ravaged by banditry”, the assertion additionally learn.
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Reacting to the assertion by the minister, the Governor, in an announcement on Tuesday morning signed by the spokesperson to the Governor, Sulaiman Bala Idris, revealed that the State Authorities possesses laborious proof of the Federal authorities’s “sneaky negotiations.”
He stated the minister of Info ought to have carried out a radical investigation earlier than discrediting the state authorities.
In accordance with him, the Info Minister’s assertion claiming that there have been no negotiations between authorities officers and bandits in Zamfara requires additional clarification.
“We’ve got already uncovered a couple of places the place such talks have been held with bandits, akin to Birnin Magaji, Maradun, Mun Haye, Ajah, Bawo, and Bagege”, the Governor said.
“We sought clarification from the Federal Authorities concerning the sneaky negotiations with bandits carried out by a few of its brokers with out recourse to the State Authorities and heads of Safety companies within the State.
“We’ve got details and proof on what had transpired between these brokers of the Federal Authorities and the bandits through the negotiations in a number of locations throughout Zamfara.
“It’s disappointing that the data minister discredited our declare with out verifying it first. What is anticipated of him as knowledgeable is to collaborate with related authorities to substantiate the declare’s authenticity”, the assertion additional learn.
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The governor maintained that the Zamfara state authorities respects protocol and established authority, and that’s the reason it could not come out within the media to start out exposing the names of the Federal Authorities brokers concerned within the covert dialogue with bandits.
He clarified that these people main secret negotiations with bandits in Zamfara are politicising insecurity, not the State Authorities.
The Governor warned that negotiating with bandits in Zamfara is a grave mistake, and never the answer to the issue and solely encourages and emboldens the criminals.
