Insecurity: Why Bandits Are On Rampage In Zamfara – Matawalle

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has revealed the reasons why bandits are on rampage in Zamfara State.

Speaking at a security conference in Kaduna State on Tuesday, governor Matawalle said one of the reasons for the escalation of banditry and kidnapping in the state was the killing of a prominent Fulani leader in Dansadau area of Zamfara.

Matawalle, who was represented by his Commissioner for Security, Ibrahim Dosara, said the murder of the Fulani leader led to the clash between his followers in the state, Kebbi, and Sokoto states and perceived killers.

The governor said the clash subsequently led to hostilities between the Fulani and Hausa communities, with each group attacking and killing one another.

Matawalle also attributed the escalation of banditry and kidnapping in the state to unresolved lingering conflict between herders and farmers by past administrations.

He also inferred that the failure of some states in the Northwest region to enter into dialogue with the bandits has further led to the degeneration of the menace.

Matawalle said the herders and farmers’ conflict lingered for too long due to the weakening of the traditional institution and the judiciary in resolving the problem or prosecuting offenders.

He noted that the inability of the government to resolve the conflict consequently made some of the actors involved devise some other means of tackling the problem, which sadly resulted in banditry within Zamfara.

Other contributory factors that escalated banditry in Zamfara state include the proliferation of arms into the Northwest region through the porous borders from some African countries like Mali, Libya, and Chad.