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The governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, has said he knows the exact locations of bandit leaders operating in the state but is unable to act against them because he does not have control over security agencies.
In a viral video, Lawal lamented that despite having intelligence on the movement of bandits, the fight against insecurity was being undermined because security chiefs in Zamfara “take directives only from Abuja.”
“I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandit leader is located within Zamfara State, I know it. If he moves, I know. With my mobile phone, I can show you where these bandits are today. But we cannot act beyond our powers.
“If I had the authority to give orders to security agencies, I can assure you that we would end banditry in Zamfara within two months. Most of the time, I shed tears for my people because I see the problem, yet I cannot command security operatives to act in time,” he said.
The governor recalled how Shinkafi Local Government Area was once attacked by bandits while security operatives in the state failed to respond because they had not received clearance from Abuja.
“There was a time bandits invaded Shinkafi, and security operatives were alerted, but they refused to go simply because they were not given orders from Abuja,” he recounted.
Despite lacking direct control, Lawal stressed that his administration has invested heavily in security support. Recently, Zamfara distributed 150 patrol vehicles to the police, army, DSS, and civil defence. The state also recruited thousands of Community Protection Guards and hired 2,000 hunters from Borno and Yobe to reinforce the fight against banditry.
“I am doing all this despite not having command over the security agencies, because it is my responsibility to protect the lives and property of the people of Zamfara,” he added.
