By Suleiman Umaru
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has a task at hand: to engage the services of Nuhu Ribadu, an Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, rtd, and former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, now National Security Adviser, NSA, to investigate what is happening in the north western state of Zamfara, between Dauda Lawal, the incumbent, PDP, governor of the state, and Bello Matawale, minister of state, Defence, who incidentally was a former governor of the state, on the ticket of the and Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, before defecting to the ruling All Progressive, APC, due to the mounting pressure of the then President Muhammadu Buhari .
The quarrel between the two political gladiators from the state was said to have to have resulted in the leaked secret memo that had allegedly linked the state government of having dealings with some high profile bandits, like late Halilu Kachalla Sububu and Bello Turji. It could not be ascertained whether it is during the Matawalles’s Administration or the current Lawal’s administrations.
Lawal, the incumbent Zamfara state governor who is determined to make mockery of Matawale, the minister of state , Defence, in order to force him to resign his appointment to face the legal consequences , along side , other influential individuals in the state , over the allegations that the former governor, had procured vehicles for the bandits group gang leaders operating in the state , including the notorious Turji, declared by Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, have not stopped.
The governor who had appeared on a TVC , Television , programme, recently, had made Nigerians to know that available information at the disposal of the government, clearly shows that Matawalle, his predecessor in office, was fully involved in some of Turji’s banditry group gang leader’s activities in the state for his own pecuniary gains.
Recall that the former amfara state governor had paid a courtesy visit to the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, in August, 2020, where he was said to have presented alluvial gold, iron ore, chromate, chamovite, granite, clay , limestone and kaolin, unearthed from solid mineral deposits in the state to him, fueling speculations making the rounds that he may have obtained the solid minerals from the bandits group gang leaders.
Note that Ado Aleru, a notorious bandits group gang Leader, was said been t to have been turbaned as Sarkin Fulani, of Yandoto Emirate by Aliyu Garba Marafa, Emir of Yandoto Emirate Council, which an i confirmed source disclosed had the approval of Matawalle, the then governor of the state.
Aliero, described as a notorious bandits, turbaned as the Sarkin Yandoto, was said to have been declared wanted and 19 others, including including Late Halilu Kachalla Sububu, annd Turji, in 2022, for terrorizing the people Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states, by the Defence Headquarters.
The military Authorities had promised to reward anyone who has information that could lead to the arrest of the suspected bandits group gang leaders with the sum of N5 million but that was how far, they could go.
The vocal Zamfara state governor, who may have spilled the bean may have shocked Nigerians hen he revealed that the former governor had kept terrorists at the Government House, Gusau, the state Capital and ransom paid to the terrorists through the government.
The minister’s loyalists who could not allow Gov. Lawal, mess up their leader, appears to have turned the heat on him, accusing him of providing shelter for Turji, the notorious bandits group gang leader and other notorious bandits in the in the state Government House, after the military had pushed them out of the forests, due persistent air raids to support ground operations.
However, the minister in apparent response to Gov. Lawal’s claims of sponsoring banditry in Zamfara state, had denied involvement in banditry or terrorism activities in the state as alleged. Describing the allegations as ‘’baseless and mere attempts by Lawal, his successor in office, to distract and discredit him’’.
The minister had said that as governor of the state he refused to Negotiate with the bandits’ group gang leaders after the closure of the amnesty window for them to lay down their arms. He had accused the Zamfara state governor of ‘’financing banditry, gold-mining for selfish gains’’.
Given the tension that had been created in the state by the activities of the bandits group gang leaders and their loyalists, threatening public peace in the north western state of Zanfara, that have been polarized by Matawalle and Lawal, the two prominent politicians in the state, may have informed why the current Nigerian President is under Intense pressure to declare a State of Emergency.
Indeed, the Zamfara state chapter of the APC, in the state, which may be acting out a script, were said to have called on the President, to declare a State of Emergency in Zamfara state, due ‘’to the worsening insecurity’’. The APC, Leadership, in the state were said to have accused the state governor of allegedly undermining the security efforts that had been put in place by Matawalle, the minister of state, Defence, to solve the problem of insecurity in the state.
They noted that the only way ‘’to restore lasting peace in the state and prevent the incumbent governor from further politicizing security issues in the state is to declare a state of emergency’’. The recent killing of five police and three soldiers, attached to a road construction company, Satraco Nigeria Limited, in an ambush by Bandits fighters, in the state speaks volume.
While Gov. Lawal and Matawalle, minister of state, Defence, were said to have succeeded in polarizing Zamfara state and give room, to the bandits group gang leaders to increase the tempo of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Zamfara state, Umaru Radda, governornor of Katsina, home state of former President Buhari, was said to have facilitated the arrest of 1,000 informants working for the criminal gangs by the state Community Watch Corps, CWC, which had ostensibly reduced bandits attacks in the state in the recent time.
The insecurity situation in Zamfara state appears to have unsettled the people that it virtually affects every facet of the including teconomy of the state. Only recently, a boat, carrying over 40 farmers, on their way to their farms had capsized after the pilot lost control in the Bankin Kasuwa river of Uban Dawaki, in Gummi Local Government Area of the state, killing all the farmers.
The death of the 40 farmers, may have thrown the state into mourning that the governor may have forgotten about the quarrel, with the minister of state Defence, but to commiserate with the families of the deceased. The Nigerian, President, was said to have also commiserated with the Zafara state, government, over the twin tragedies that had befallen the state.
