The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has reacted to allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that minister of State, Defense, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, coerced the state government to negotiate with bandits.
In a statement issued by the state Publicity Secretary, Mallam Yusuf Idris Gusau, the APC described the allegation as baseless.
The statement noted that the Zamfara State PDP-led government under Governor Dauda Lawal has continued to blame the immediate past APC government for its inability to meet campaign promises made to the people, over one year into the administration.
The statement said: “The Dauda campaign train had used insecurity against Matawalle’s leadership, promising to eliminate banditry and other security challenges facing the State within its first months in office, but having failed, it has again returned against the APC, saying it is the reason why the PDP cannot defeat the bandits.
“A memo that allegedly emanated from the State government and signed by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Abubakar Nakwada, requesting Governor Lawal’s approval to settle some identified bandits and journalists costing over N1 billion which went viral, recently was pitched against the APC in which even if such document came from outside the government.
“The blame to any sensibility shouldn’t hang on one party alone, since there are other opposition parties, moreso that one cannot be sure that it did not come from within the government as a means of saving its face and diverting the attention of Zamfara people who are now wiser on such political gimmick.
“While Matawalle’s government opted for reconciliation, which decimated bandits activities during his time, Governor Dauda rejected it, yet he has run out of ideas and ended up sabotaging all federal government attempts to fight the criminals in the State.
“On the other hand, we know that the government secretly and without documentation, approved reconciliation between bandits and communities, but is avoiding public backlash on the matter which was arrived at via a meeting with the governor, government officials and some scholars.
“Since the government decided against reconciliation with the bandits as its own style and against how the preceding leadership did, it should tell the people how far it has gone in the fight rather than what we are seeing on a daily basis including attacks, killings, kidnappings and threats of possible attacks.
“If communities fail to contribute millions of Naira for the bandits who tax the communities as levies and to be paid within a short time limit, the latest of which is the case of Moriki community with the governor not even paying sympathy visit to victims but is busy on joy travels.
“The government owes us as people of the State how and why the former chairman of the State Security Trust Fund, M D Abubakar resigned his appointment as well as make public, the contents of the resignation letter so that we can analyze it within the context of the fund and security issues of the State.
“Also, at the moment, the government should bring succour and sanity over the increasing number of IDPs who have turned to beggars for lack of state government help caused by the same state government failure to adequately tackle insecurity as promised.
“It is pathetic, the way and manner the PDP government in Zamfara State is handling the security of lives and properties with kids’ gloves, as the governor has concentrated on himself and abandoning his primary responsibilities.
“He should desist from politicizing the security issue as he did during the campaign period. Now is time for action, not propaganda or apportioning blames just to cover his failure when the innocent electorate remain helpless.”