Insecurity: It’s time for action, not propaganda — APC tells Zamfara gov

The All Progressives Congress (APC), Zamfara State chapter, worried over the bedevilling insecurity in the state, has opened up to Governor Dauda Lawal, saying it is time for action, not media propaganda.

In a statement issued on Thursday evening by the Zamfara State APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, the party said it is appalled by the continuous outpourings of Governor Dauda Lawal since he said he was aware of the movement of every bandit kingpin and his gang operating in Zamfara State.

The statement reads in part: “As a party, we do not know why he continues to allow them to kill and abduct innocent citizens of the state, or perhaps because he wants to use them, directly or otherwise, against his political rivals, especially from the APC.

“In a recent interview with some journalists at Government House, Gusau, the governor unequivocally told the media men that he knows all the bandits’ camps operating in Zamfara forests and knows their every movement.

“He, however, as the chief security officer of the state, has consistently refused to take proactive measures against them, but only says that if he had the authority, he would bring banditry to an end in the state within two weeks.

“Apart from being delusional in having presidential powers with which to eliminate the carnage, the governor forgot that he has set up as well as armed the state’s Community Protection Guard, over whom only he has powers, and only he can direct them to the bandits’ hideouts, which he knows, so that they can go and smoke them out. But no, he would rather play politics by always saying the issue of security is in the hands of the Federal Government.

“Similarly, while boasting that he bought and distributed 150 vehicles to security agencies, Governor Dauda failed to also say that not all the vehicles were given, and that those given were not operational vehicles but provided for mobility to the benefiting agencies, without any further support, such as fuel and maintenance allowance.

“Recall that while celebrating his first hundred days in office as governor, Bello Matawalle distributed 200 fully equipped operational vehicles to all security agencies in the state and backed it up with allowances to ease their logistics.

“Our question to Governor Dauda is: does he review his campaign videos to see his politicisation of insecurity in the state in all the towns and villages he visited, or does he think that all the governors he decampaigned have control over any of the security agencies?

“The governor’s statement is a clear acceptance of his government’s failure to protect the lives and properties of citizens against bandits’ attacks.

“Let him concentrate on delivering his campaign promises of ending banditry in two months and stop apportioning blame to anybody. Now is the time for action, not media propaganda,” the statement concluded.

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