Zamfara LG Chair Calls For Sophisticated Weapons To Crush Bandits

The Chairman of Bukuyum Local Government Area in Zamfara State, Abubakar Umar Faru, has called on the Federal Government to equip security agencies with sophisticated weapons to enable a full-scale offensive against bandits operating in the Gando Forest.

Speaking in an interview with DCL Hausa, Faru said he had already provided security agencies with the coordinates of bandits’ hideouts deep inside the forest, but lamented that they lack the capacity to confront the criminals effectively.

“I personally gave them all the coordinates that will allow them to finish these people once and for all, but they don’t have the weapons to take the fight to them,” he said.

Faru described Gando Forest as a growing hub for banditry, noting that the situation has worsened following the relocation of armed groups who previously entered peace agreements with communities in parts of Katsina State and Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State.

“Gando Forest has now become a major hotspot. Some of the bandits who brokered peace elsewhere have moved into Zamfara and set up camp here,” he said.

While acknowledging the efforts of security personnel deployed to the area, the council chairman insisted that ending banditry would require decisive military action within the forest.

“The security agencies we have are doing their best to protect lives and property, but for this banditry to end, we must take the war to the bandits in the forest,” he stressed.

When asked who he believed had failed to bring an end to banditry in the state, Faru pointed to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, saying he had not lived up to expectations.

“Matawalle is from Zamfara State, and as Minister of State for Defence, he is in the best position to ensure banditry ends here. I don’t know what is wrong, but he has failed to do so,” Faru said.

The chairman added that although the Zamfara State Government and local authorities were making efforts within their constitutional limits, they lacked direct control over federal security agencies.

“The governor and I are doing the best we can with the power we have, but security agencies do not take directives from the governor. He cannot compel them to act without federal approval,” he said.

Gando Forest, a vast forest reserve in Zamfara State is integral for farming, grazing, and natural resources.

However, in recent years it has become synonymous with armed banditry, leading to widespread displacement and disruption of agricultural activities.