Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has declared that he has the capacity to wipe out banditry within two months if security agencies in the state were placed under his command instead of being controlled from Abuja.
The governor, visibly emotional and breaking down in tears in a viral video on Wednesday, said the centralised nature of Nigeria’s security architecture was sabotaging efforts to protect lives in Zamfara, which has become the epicentre of rural banditry in the North-West.
“I can tell you the whereabouts of every bandit kingpin in Zamfara, even with my phone. I can point to you where they are right now. But I do not control security agencies, and that is the problem,” Lawal lamented.
He narrated how dozens of residents were massacred recently in Shinkafi Local Government Area while security forces stationed nearby refused to act because they were “waiting for orders from Abuja.”
“People were under attack, and I kept calling the security agencies. They told me they were waiting for orders from Abuja. How do I save my people in such a situation?” the governor asked bitterly, his voice breaking in frustration.
Despite lacking command authority, Lawal said his government had continued to shoulder the burden of funding and logistics for the federal security agencies.
According to him, 150 patrol vehicles had been provided to the police, the military, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Thousands of Community Protection Guards and more than 2,000 hunters from Borno and Yobe States have also been recruited to join the fight against bandit groups.
Read also:
- Airforce Air strikes eliminate scores of Armed Bandits in Zamfara
- Northern senators condemn killing of 35 abducted victims by bandits in Zamfara
- Kidnappers kill 35 hostages in Zamfara after ransom payment
The governor stressed that his administration was also addressing the socio-economic roots of rural violence by expanding access to water, schools, and healthcare, arguing that peace cannot be sustained without development.
However, he accused political opponents of deliberately exploiting insecurity for selfish ends. “The politicisation of insecurity is not hurting me as a person; it is destroying Zamfara. Some people do not want us to succeed, but I will not stop trying,” he warned.
Lawal further pointed to the massive security deployment during a recent by-election in the state as proof that the federal government had the resources but chose to prioritise politics over saving lives. “If Abuja can send thousands of armed men to secure a ballot box, why can’t they do the same to protect villagers under siege?” one Zamfara resident angrily asked, echoing the governor’s position.
Zamfara has endured some of the deadliest attacks by armed gangs in the North-West, where militias originally rooted in cattle-rustling have transformed into sophisticated networks of gunmen, terrorising villages, abducting schoolchildren, and extorting farming communities. Entire communities have been emptied, farmlands abandoned, and thousands displaced.
Nigeria has witnessed similar tragedies in the region. In February 2021, about 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Jangebe in Zamfara. Just months earlier, in December 2020, more than 300 schoolboys were abducted from Kankara in neighbouring Katsina State. Both incidents sparked global outrage and highlighted Nigeria’s growing inability to protect its citizens.
Lawal’s outcry comes as President Bola Tinubu and the National Economic Council are reportedly considering the establishment of state police — a reform that governors, especially those from violence-plagued states, have been demanding for years.
Since assuming office in May 2023, Lawal has consistently argued that only state police can give governors the power to respond swiftly to insecurity. His position aligns with Tinubu’s recent endorsement of the idea. Proponents say local policing will enable states to take direct responsibility for their own security challenges, while critics warn that politicians may abuse such forces against their opponents.
