Governor Bello Matawalle has recommended for the setting up of a North West Security and Peace Committee with a view to addressing the lingering security challenges bidevilling the region.
The Governor gave the recommendation ath the formal presentation of 200 operational vehicles to joint security operatives in Zamfara state held at the State Trade Fair Complex Gusau, the Zamfara State Capital.
“I recently wrote to Mr President to offer our suggestion on the need to form a North West Security and Peace Committee to effectively handle the intractable security challenges bedevilling the sub-region over the years,” Matawalle disclosed.
He noted that based on the success recorded since the commencent of the peace and dialogue between the bandits and government relative peaceful atmosphere has been restored hence he stressed the need for the setting up of that committee.
Advancing his reason on the need for the committee Governor Matawalle explained that the North Western States of Sokoto, Jenni, Zamfara, Katsina, as well as Kaduna and Niger in the North Central shares common borders and have some forested areas sprawling across the borders noting that there is need for the states to have common functional security strategies.
According to Matawalle “this allows for free inter-state movements of bandits and causing damage to people’s lives and properties,” he added.
He said, “the setbacks suffered by our peace process, which was gaining traction, is partly as a result of this inter-state movement of bandits.
“It is only through a united approach by all the affected states that we can effectively root out banditry in the subregion,” the governor observed.
He also announced that he was currently perfecting a plan to organize a joint security collaboration with the neighbouring states of Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Niger, and Katsina in order to block the existing porous borders so as to impede infiltration of miscreants or armed bandits into the State.
