The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has insisted that his administration’s policy on dialogue with bandits will not be changed.
He said this when he received a delegation sent by the federal government to commiserate with Zamfara State over the kidnap of 217 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Talata Mafara Local Government Area, a week ago.
Governor Matawalle said dialogue with the criminal elements appeared to be his only option for resolving the crisis.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari recently warned state governors on the dangers of rewarding armed bandits, stating that such policies could be disastrous.
President Buhari who spoke through his Media Aide, Garba Shehu, said state governors needed to review their policies and be proactive in improving security in and around schools.
It was believed that this warning applied to Bello Masari, the Governor of Katsina State, President Buhari’s home state, as well as Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State. The two are known to have negotiated peace deals with bandits.
Meanwhile the leader of the FG delegation to Zamfara, Senator Hadi Serika has condemned the kidnapping of the school girls, describing it as inhuman.
He said the federal government would take drastic measures against its recurrence and had indeed mapped out a strategy to deal with the insecurity bedevilling the nation.
“The terrorists who have found it very profitable to abduct school children would soon be fished out following the new federal government strategy on security”.
