A Zamfara State-based civic group has told Governor Dauda Lawal to stop making excuses and hand over banditry intelligence to security agencies.
This is following his viral claims that he could end insecurity in two months if given control of the forces, earlier reported on Thursday.
The Zamfara Good Governance Network on its social media handle and in a Friday statement said the governor’s remarks were reckless, insulting to the military, and a betrayal of citizens who voted for him on the promise of restoring peace.
“This is a governor who campaigned on the promise of ending insecurity in Zamfara and rode on that sentiment to secure his mandate.
“Now, almost three years into his administration, he is telling the world that he can solve the problem in two months if only he had control of security agencies.
“This is not just laughable, it is an affront to the gallant men and women of our armed forces who continue to make sacrifices in Zamfara,” said ZGGN president, Murtala Abdullahi.
The group urged Lawal to share intelligence with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services , or the military high command.
“Governor Lawal has openly confessed to knowing where bandits are located and even claimed he can track their movements on his phone.
“Yet, rather than handing this information to the appropriate authorities, he is sitting on it, while innocent villagers are being massacred and abducted on a daily basis. That is nothing short of complicity,” Abdullahi said.
He added that while the governor insists he has no control over security agencies, he moves with a heavily armed convoy daily.
“The governor has created for himself a cocoon of safety while failing to protect the very people he swore an oath to defend. His claim that he has no control is belied by the very visible security detail he commands daily within Zamfara,” he added.
The group urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara, citing repeated killing and abductions in Kaura Namoda and Bukkuyum local government areas.
In July, our correspondent reported that 35 people were killed over failure to pay ransom in the Kaura Namoda LG.
“It is shameful that instead of providing solutions, the governor is busy issuing excuses. Just in August alone, more than 24 people were killed in Kaura Namoda, 16 injured, and 144 abducted.
“A week later, 100 villagers were taken from Bukkuyum, with two killed. What Zamfara needs is decisive leadership, not a governor who cries on camera while admitting he has the intelligence to end banditry but chooses not to act,” Abdullahi said.
The ZGGN also called on civil society organisations, religious leaders and community groups to demand accountability.
“Our people cannot continue to be sacrificial lambs on the altar of weak leadership. Governor Lawal must stop hiding behind excuses and start delivering results.
“If he cannot, then let the Federal Government step in to take control and rescue Zamfara from total collapse,” Abdullahi concluded.
