– Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state has vowed that traditional rulers in the state linked with bandits will be deposed
– The governor, who stated this after a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, also said local residents have been empowered to work with security operatives in curbing the crime
– He also added that 10 AK-47 rifles have been been submitted so far by repentant bandits threatening the community peace
Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state has threatened that any traditional ruler linked to banditry in the state will be deposed.
NAN reports that Yari issued the warning when he was fielding questions from state house correspondents after a closed-door meeting with vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, December 3, 2018, at the presidential villa, Abuja.
Legit.ng gathers that the governor recently stripped some traditional rulers and district heads of their title over complicity in the lingering banditry that has bedeviled the state.
According to Yari, his government is trying to teach a lesson as the problem in the state and the northwest is a peculiar one.
He said that some traditional rulers were supporting the activities of the bandits by taking advantage of their activities or taking money from them which posed great danger to the state.
Yari said: “To give you trust to manage people through tradition and then you are taking part directly or directly; that cannot be accepted.
“So, anyone found wanting in this act will definitely face punishment; and we are trying to use all the avenues that we have to fish out those that are within us; within the traditional rulers and outside.
“That is why we have intelligence; we have the civilian joint Taskforce and all of them so that they can help us in giving us the detail; we have over 2, 600 men and women working against these bandits.
“The terrain is difficult and is not known to them; so we have employed those sons of the soil that will lead the security agencies to their door steps so we have been getting a very good result.
“If you are talking of the general public, how many are they, we are getting to 5 million and the traditional rulers are about 200 and above; so if we find anyone –underline this word; anyone wanting; he will go.”
On his promise of N1 million reward for each AK-47 riffle handed over by criminals, Yari said 10 riffles had been submitted so far.
Yari said, however, that he was in the villa to discuss about extended National Economic Council (NEC) meeting for the end of the year.
He said it was agreed that NEC would be held on December 14, 2018, to discuss the economy and review its performance from January to date.
Meanwhile, TRACKNEWS.NG previously reported that the Nigeria Police Force on Friday, November 30, declared that it killed 104 armed bandits during an attack on Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji local government area of Zamfara state.
A statement by the force spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, in Abuja said 50 hideouts in three camps belonging to the bandits were also destroyed.
Moshood said that over 500 cattle and 79 Sheep were recovered from the bandits, adding that a policeman was killed during the operation.
