We Communicate Every Movement Of Bandits To Police, Military But It's Not Their Priority – Zamfara Governor Lawal

The governor said that although technology now makes it possible to track criminal movements in real time, security operatives have failed to act decisively on available intelligence.

The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has raised fresh concerns over what he described as the lack of urgency by security agencies in addressing insecurity, alleging that intelligence provided to them is often ignored because it is “not their priority.”

Speaking during an interview, the governor said that although technology now makes it possible to track criminal movements in real time, security operatives have failed to act decisively on available intelligence.

“If you follow all my interviews about insecurity, I strongly believe that we are not ready for this. I still believe we are not ready because it doesn’t take anything. With technology, every movement of any bandit, I have it in my system because we have satellites and drones. Every movement is communicated to all the relevant security operators: police, military, DSS and civil Defence real-time. But it is not their priority and it’s frustrating. When you have the tool, you can neutralise these guys easily. They live within us. How is it difficult? You are telling me a bandit, a terrorist is superior to the state? How is that possible? It’s not," he said in the interview with Vanguard.

The governor said he had personally briefed President Bola Tinubu on the situation, insisting that the true state of insecurity in Zamfara and parts of Kaduna was not being accurately conveyed at the federal level.

“I met the president and I made it very clear to him that this is what you need to do, that they are not telling you the truth,” he said.

He lamented that despite deploying surveillance systems capable of tracking bandits’ movements, security agencies have allegedly failed to treat the intelligence as urgent, thereby allowing attacks to persist.

The governor also reflected on the dire situation he inherited upon assuming office, describing Zamfara as “a very, very serious and dysfunctional state.”

“My first major challenge, of course, was the insecurity in the state. It went on for about 10 years or so. Whenever you heard about Zamfara, it was always about killings, this and that and so on. Everything was negative,” he said.

According to him, the state was grappling with unpaid salaries despite a N7000 minimum wage at the time, an empty treasury, lack of potable water in Gusau for five months, collapsed healthcare services, students unable to sit for WAEC and NECO examinations, and widespread infrastructural decay.

He added that electricity had been disconnected from government offices, including the Government House, due to unpaid bills, and that he had to rely on his personal resources to run the state for months.

Despite these challenges, the governor maintained that insecurity remains the most pressing issue and warned that failure by security agencies to prioritise actionable intelligence could continue to undermine efforts to restore peace in Zamfara and neighbouring states such as Kaduna.

His comments come amid insecurity ravaging the state.

Last Monday, SaharaReporters reported that bandits armed with sophisticated weapons  stormed Moriki town in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing a senior local government official and abducting several residents.

The attackers reportedly invaded the town in large numbers, firing sporadically and causing panic among residents who fled their homes for safety.

During the attack, Lauwali Musa Moriki, the Zurmi LGA Health Educator, was shot dead by the gunmen.

He was said to have been targeted at his residence, where the assailants also abducted members of his family, according to a source, Bakatsine.

The attack has thrown Moriki town into mourning and heightened fears over the worsening security situation in Zurmi LGA and other parts of Zamfara State, which has remained a hotspot for banditry, mass abductions, and killings.

Residents accused security agencies of failing to prevent repeated attacks despite several warnings and distress calls made before and during the invasion.

Moriki town, like many rural communities in Zamfara, has suffered repeated assaults by armed groups who exploit poor security presence and difficult terrain to operate with impunity.