• Ex-Zamfara gov insists FG must dialogue with bandits
President Bola Tinubu has tasked former governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima, to intervene in the crisis between Governor Dauda Lawal, and his predecessor, Bello Matawalle.
Lawal had accused Matawalle of stealing official vehicles from Government House before handing over to him. He also alleged that the former governor stole television sets, refrigerators and gas cookers.
All the vehicles seized by the Zamfara State Police Command from the former governor were returned to him on June 18 after the court, presided over by Justice Aminu Bappah-Aliyu, ordered security agencies that removed the vehicles from Matawalle’s houses in Gusau and Maradun to return them within 48 hours.
Lawal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated Mr. Matawalle of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 18 gubernatorial elections.
Yerima, who poke after he met with President Tinubu in the State House, Abuja, yesterday, said President Tinubu asked him to intervene as father of the state.
“You see, the issue of Zamafara, like you rightly said, I’m now a father in Zamfara. Even Mr. President in my interaction this afternoon has requested me to put my best to ensure that there’s stability in the state and that is what we are doing already.
“And by the grace of God, we will come together and you will see that all the crisis going on will be over.”
Yerima reiterated his earlier advocacy for dialogue with bandits, insisting that the Federal Government has capacity to confront the challenges decisively.
However, he stressed the need to avoid collateral damage and drew a parallel with President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s successful negotiation with militants in the Niger Delta region.
He cited poverty and ignorance as the root causes of such conflicts and proposed rehabilitation programmes as a means to integrate the bandits back into society. He emphasised that negotiations were an integral part of governance and they should be pursued before resorting to extensive military operations.
Using historical examples, Yerima referenced global conflicts, such as World War I and World War II, which were ultimately resolved through negotiations.
He maintained that poverty and ignorance were prevalent among the bandits and advocated their education, reintegration into society, and poverty alleviation to address the root causes of their actions.
In response to concerns raised about the plight of victims of bandit activities, Yerima clarified that he was proposing a solution for the overall Nigerian crisis not advocating for the bandits.
He stressed the importance of giving Nigerians the opportunity to repent, be rehabilitated, and reintegrated into society.
He reiterated his confidence in the government’s capacity with adequate resources and support to address security challenges if negotiations failed.
“You see, these people are Nigerians. And I believe that Nigerian government has capacity. The military, security, have the capacity to deal with them immediately if so directed, if they are given the resources they require, the support and political will. but the collateral damage that could be associated with the actions is what I believe should be avoided.If you send an aircraft now to where you identify the bandits, it is not only the bandits that would be affected.
“And if you will recall, Mr. President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had similar interaction with the militants in Niger Delta, it was successful. So, I believe that as Nigerians if they are called upon by governments, the major causes of this problem is poverty and ignorance.