Zamfara Governor, Bello Matawalle, says that the state government is no longer interested in holding a dialogue with bandits, noting that they had spurned the olive branch once extended to them.
According to reports by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the governor while addressing a congregation said that instead, security forces would flush them out of the state.
In his words, “My administration will no longer grant amnesty to bandits as they have failed to embrace the peace initiative earlier extended to them.’’
He urged residents to be patient and to support new security measures put in place to flush out bandits and their collaborators to restore peace in the state.
The governor said the barrage of attacks on bandits by security forces had made them to make a fresh overture to the government seeking dialogue.
He said the bandits’ emissaries informed him that they had repented and would want to dialogue with the government.
He noted that some of the bandits were running out of Zamfara to other states as a result of the new security measures introduced by the state government.
Matawalle warned politicians against giving any form of support to bandits, stressing that: “politicians should fear God and stop buying motorcycles to distribute to people who, in turn, sell to bandits to perpetrate their evil acts.’’
The governor said also that the Zamfara government would prosecute any politician caught in the act.
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