The Arewa Elders Initiative and Interactive Forum has accepted the security Plan designed by Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle of Zamfara State to confront the danger of saboteur.
Governor Matawalle noted that the activities of the saboteurs have been retarding the fight against insurgency and other criminal acts in the north west zone of the country.
Mr. Alhassan Gwadabe, the group’s national chairman, after a two-day interactive session with some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Kaduna tagged, ‘Emerging challenges facing the north west and Issues behind the success of the fight against banditry and kidnapping ahead of 2023 Elections’.
He explained that the new pattern designed by Governor Matawalle, including arrest of informants, telecommunication networks shutdown, ban on the sale of petrol and exposing collaborators in communities, demolishing their structures and removal of community leaders accused of connivance and negligence were positively restoring peace to the region.
The elders of the forum call on President Muhammadu Buhari, service chiefs and Governors of the zone to bring forth new methods and tactics that could guarantee huge success in the current fight against banditry in the region, especially with the recent reports of the escalation of banditry and killing of innocent people in parts of Niger and Kebbi states.
The group unanimously agreed that the greatest challenge in the fight against bandits, now declared as terrorists, is to apply the non-kinetic methods introduced by Matawalle by arresting informants, using the traditional and political solutions and supporting vigilante groups.
