From Abba Kabara, Gusau.
The dialogue approach in tackling banditry in Zamfara state adopted by the administration of governor Bello Matawalle is beginning to yield desired results.
Governor Matawalle’s administration has initiated and implemented dialogue and peace process to complement the military action towards addressing the challenge of banditry in the state.
On this premise, seven bandits have today announced their unconditional repentance and voluntarily surrendered fourteen AK47 rifles to the government house received by governor Bello Matawalle in company of many of his cabinet members and security chiefs.
While receiving the seven repentant bandits, the state commissioner for security and home affairs Hon. Abubakar Dauran stressed that the peace resolution approach has generated a lot of success as according to him, from June 2019 to date “a total of 148 assorted rifles and 1418 live ammunition were retrieved from the bandits through peaceful approach”, he said.
He said using the same strategy, over 1000 kidnap victims were rescued while a lot of leading bandits have repented and embraced peace as they have already got reintegrated into the society running their normal life.
Governor Bello Matawalle who spoke at the reception ceremony, expressed hope that more bandits will soon register their repentance and take up peace as the best way of survival.
He gave the assurance that any bandit who voluntarily agrees to forsake banditry and embrace peace will readily be pardoned as part of the condition for dialogue and peace process.
