A politician and activist in Zamfara State has said banditry can be wiped out within two months if the military works hand-in-hand with state governments.
Sani Shinkafi, a former national secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), accused federal security agencies of neglecting intelligence provided by Zamfara authorities, despite heavy investment in security by the state.
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“The problem is not capacity but political will,” Mr Shinkafi said. “If the military collaborates fully with Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration, these criminal elements can be flushed out in weeks.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Shinkafi, who leads the Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development, said the governor had equipped security efforts with 150 operational vehicles, advanced tracking technology, and the recruitment of 2,000 Civilian Joint Task Force members and hunters. Community Protection Guards were also strengthened with weapons and logistics to support conventional forces.
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Despite these measures, he said, troops frequently fail to act on intelligence reports of planned attacks, often insisting they were waiting for “orders from Abuja” even as citizens were killed, abducted or displaced.
Mr Shinkafi also criticised what he called the politicisation of insecurity, pointing to heavy federal deployments during a recent bye-election in Kaura Namoda, while nearby villages were left at the mercy of bandits.
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He recalled the recent killing of 35 villagers in Banga and the imposition of ₦56 million levies on farmers in Danisa.
He said the situation mirrored insecurity in neighbouring Katsina, where Governor Dikko Radda said security agencies ignored warnings of an attack that left dozens dead.
Calling on President Bola Tinubu and the military high command to intervene, Mr Shinkafi stressed that ending insecurity required unity and cooperation rather than political rivalry.
“Security is everybody’s business. Life has no duplicate,” he said. “We must set aside partisan politics and secure our communities.”
