Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has said that he can point to the whereabouts of all the bandit leaders in the state.
He said he had the capacity to wipe out banditry in the state but he had no authority to do so.
“I can tell you the whereabouts of every bandit kingpin in Zamfara, even with my phone. I can point to you where they are right now. But I do not control security agencies, and that is the problem,” he lamented.
The governor, who broke down in tears while recounting recent attacks in a video which went viral on Wednesday, said the major obstacle to ending the crisis is that security operatives in Zamfara still take instructions from Abuja rather than the state government.
Lawal insisted that with his knowledge of the terrain and the locations of criminal leaders, he could swiftly end the menace if he had the necessary powers.
He cited a recent incident in Shinkafi Local Government where dozens were killed, saying security forces on the ground refused to move because they lacked authorisation from Abuja.
“People were under attack, and I kept calling the security agencies. They told me they were waiting for orders from Abuja. How do I save my people in such a situation?” the governor added in frustration.
Despite the restrictions, Lawal noted that his administration has continued to support security operatives with logistics and funding.
He said 150 patrol vehicles had been distributed to the police, military, Department of State Services and civil defence, while thousands of Community Protection Guards and over 2,000 hunters from Borno and Yobe States had been recruited to join the fight.
He also stressed the need to address the root causes of rural violence.
“We are working to provide water, schools and other amenities because we know that when people live well, peace is easier to achieve,” he explained.
The governor accused political opponents of exploiting the crisis for selfish gain, warning that their actions were damaging the welfare of Zamfara people.
“The politicisation of insecurity is not hurting me as a person; it is destroying Zamfara. Some people do not want us to succeed, but I will not stop trying,” he stated.
Lawal further pointed to the heavy security deployment during a recent by-election in the state as proof that resources exist but are being prioritised for politics rather than the protection of lives.
While Boko Haram and its splinter group, ISWAP, have terrorised the North-East for over a decade, claiming more than 35,000 lives and displacing over two million people, the North-West has faced a different but equally devastating wave of violence.
In Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto, armed groups rooted in cattle-rustling have grown into heavily armed networks carrying out mass abductions and rural raids.
Zamfara has been one of the hardest-hit states by banditry in the North-West, with armed groups carrying out mass abductions, killings and attacks on farming communities. Many residents have been displaced from their villages, while farmers have abandoned their fields for fear of attacks.
In February 2021, about 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from Jangebe in Zamfara; in December 2020, over 300 schoolboys were abducted in neighbouring Katsina. Both incidents drew global attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.
Lawal’s outcry comes as President Bola Tinubu and the National Economic Council are considering the establishment of state police, a reform long demanded by governors in violence-plagued states.
His remarks underscore the frustration of state leaders who face mounting pressure from citizens but lack authority over the security apparatus.
For residents of Zamfara, where villages are being emptied by gunmen and farming is grinding to a halt, the governor’s claim that he could end banditry in two months if empowered is both a promise of hope and a reminder of the limitations of Nigeria’s centralised security system.
Since assuming office in May 2023, Governor Lawal has repeatedly called for the establishment of state police, echoing President Bola Tinubu’s recent endorsement of the idea.
Proponents argue that local police would enable state governments to take direct responsibility for their security challenges, while critics fear misuse by politicians.
