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Political will lacking in fight against banditry – Zamfara gov
The Governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, on Tuesday, expressed concerns that President Bola Tinubu was not adequately briefed on the severity of bandit operations in the state.
Following a meeting with the President on March 26 2024, Lawal described Zamfara as the “centre of banditry” in northern Nigeria and warned that the ongoing insecurity could destabilise the entire northern region if not urgently addressed.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Lawal asserted that banditry could be eradicated within two weeks if the government showed true commitment.
“If you can take care of Zamfara today, believe me, you would have solved 90 per cent of the banditry issue in northern Nigeria as a whole.
“If we are committed, if we are serious, we can take care of this situation within two weeks maximum. But the political will is not there,” Lawal said.
He criticised ongoing negotiations with bandits occurring without his knowledge, stating that such actions undermine state efforts to combat the crisis.
“While we are trying to take care of the situation, somebody, somewhere, somehow, behind our back, is negotiating with bandits as a governor of a state, without my knowledge.
“In Zamfara, there were a series of negotiations with these bandits but what happened at the end? Nothing. How does one even begin to negotiate at the point of weakness instead of at the point of strength? It is just a money venture kind of thing.
“When the situation got bad, I had to meet Mr President and complain one-on-one, and I told him the true situation of what Zamfara is facing in terms of security,” Lawal said.
He expressed doubts about whether the President was properly informed about the real situation on the ground, stating, “Based on the conversation we had, the answer is no. And I had to explain everything to him, what we are going through and what needs to be done.”
Lawal emphasised the strategic importance of addressing banditry in Zamfara, saying, “Zamfara state has become the hub of banditry in northern Nigeria.
“We are having challenges in the mining sector. Though mining has been banned by the FG and the states, the security outfit set up in the state is doing the best to address the situation in the state,” he said.
The governor also weighed in on the debate regarding state police, highlighting his lack of control over the military, police, and civil defence personnel.
This lack of authority, he argued, has left his administration powerless to effectively combat the bandits.
“In most cases, you get frustrated in terms of where you get help from,” Lawal said. “When you need these people, they will be nowhere to be found. And therefore the best thing to do is to set up that kind of security outfit. For us in Zamfara, they are doing well.
“There are a lot of political undertones in the security issues. Some of you find it difficult to come and say this but I know what we are going through. But like I said, sometimes you are helpless. When you need them, they are not there or even when they are there, they are given certain instructions on what to do and not to do. That is the true situation,” he added.
On education, the governor said, “For three years, our children in Zamfara did not write for the West African Examination Council exams. When we took over, the National Examinations Council owed #1.3billion and WAEC #1.6billion. We had to settle the bills for students to write the exams.”
Efforts to reach the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris and the President’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga proved abortive as they neither picked their calls or responded to the messages sent to them.
The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to stop all ongoing and planned divestments of oil assets in the Niger Delta region by oil companies.
This demand was outlined in a petition titled “Urgent Call to Halt All Divestment in the Niger Delta, Including Shell’s Refused Sale of SPDC Shares”, addressed to President Tinubu on December 16, 2024, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas on December 18, 2024.
During a press briefing in Abuja, Mr. Isaac Botti, Programmes Coordinator of Social Action Nigeria, and Reverend Nnimmo Bassey, Founder of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), highlighted the severe environmental and social impacts of oil exploration in the Niger Delta. They stated:
“We are here as representatives of Nigerian society organizations, community leaders, and concerned citizens to address a grave and urgent issue that threatens not only the people of the Niger Delta but the environmental and economic interests of Nigeria and the social future of all Nigerians”, he said.
The Coalition expressed concern over the divestment process by International Oil Companies (IOCs), particularly Shell’s proposed sale of its remaining shares in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium, as well as similar moves by companies like TotalEnergies.
They warned that these actions could undermine national interests and exacerbate environmental damage in the region.
The Coalition detailed extensive damage caused by decades of oil exploration, including:
- Water Contamination: High levels of hydrocarbons in water sources have rendered them unsafe for drinking.
- Soil Degradation: Continuous oil spills have destroyed farmlands, threatening food security.
- Biodiversity Loss: Entire ecosystems have been decimated by oil spills.
Citing reports by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission (BSOEC), the Coalition provided alarming statistics. UNEP revealed benzene levels 900 times above safe limits in Ogoniland, while chromium levels in Bayelsa were over 1,000 times higher than World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
The BSOEC estimated it would cost at least $12 billion to remediate Bayelsa over 12 years, with a broader cleanup across the Niger Delta requiring $100 billion. Comparatively, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the U.S. saw BP pay $60 billion for damages from a single incident.
The Coalition emphasized that past divestments by Shell, ENI/AGIP, and ExxonMobil have left unresolved environmental liabilities:
- Shell’s sale to Aiteo in Nembe resulted in worsening pollution without proper cleanup efforts.
- ExxonMobil and ENI/AGIP similarly failed to ensure adequate environmental management post-divestment.
These cases have set a troubling precedent of IOCs avoiding accountability for environmental degradation.
The Coalition urged the federal government and the National Assembly to take immediate action by:
- Halting all IOC divestments until historical environmental liabilities are addressed.
- Ensuring inclusive consultations with host communities before divestments.
- Mandating that Shell, TotalEnergies, and other IOCs fund cleanup and remediation efforts.
- Upholding the regulatory independence of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
- Creating an Environmental Restoration Fund to support long-term remediation.
They also demanded profit-sharing opportunities for host communities and the inclusion of gas flaring cessation in divestment agreements.
The Coalition stressed that approving Shell’s SPDC share sale without addressing environmental and social liabilities would undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty and well-being.
“Approving Shell’s or TotalEnergies’ divestment in its current form without addressing the profound environmental and social costs would be a grave injustice to the people of the Niger Delta and could lead to significant unrest in the region.”, it stated.
The Coalition reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring environmental justice and called on President Tinubu and the National Assembly to prioritize the welfare of Nigerians over corporate interests.
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