Some bandits have called for a peace talk with the Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal.
Recently, during a visit to the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Lawal had called for the deployment of more soldiers due to the high level of insecurity in the state.
A statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson after the meeting disclosed that the governor briefed the CDS about the security situation in the state; and that Lawal had expressed concerns over the resurgence of attacks in some parts of the state and had appealed to Musa, an Army General, to deploy more troops and weapons to the state.
However, in a viral video on Thursday, the bandits had sued for peace, as one Garba Habeeb, who claimed to be their leader, appealed for negotiation between his group and the state government.
“Because I represent Zamfara State (bandits), after that I need to send message to Dauda Lawal. Dauda Lawal Dere ‘ittakullaha’ (fear God)!
“As from today, we need peace. We need peaceful coexistence in Zamfara State. Continued fighting will not bring us peace. Peace is what is required of you.
“If you look at what’s going on in Eastern Africa, you’ll agree we need to find common ground to resolve our differences.
“After that, I need to send a message to the military, Tukur Usman Gusau, because he’s the one who sends warplanes to bomb bandits.
“Last week, a vigilante group came to my area to follow my cow and sheep to go (sic). This one is not good.
“Dauda Lawal Dere, you’re the leader of Zamfara State, fear God. If you lead a peaceful Zamfara (sic) then call all the leaders of Fulanis and all the ‘Kachallas’ (bandits commanders) to the negotiation table for the benefit of all,” Habeeb said in the video.
It may be recalled that, in 2019, bandits in Zamfara had given conditions for laying down their arms, one of which advocated the halting of alleged extra-judicial killings of herdsmen.
The bandits also demanded that they be allowed to attend local markets without fear or intimidation.
