Governor Matawalle insists on dialogue as best option to end banditry

From Maiharaji Altine, Gusau
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state has insisted that his administration would continue with its peace process, as killings of innocent souls have significantly reduced since the begining of the peace talk with the bandits.
The Governor, according to the press release by his Director General Media, Publicity and Communications, Alhaji Yusuf Idris  said his administration would continue with the peace process because it is the only way to address the security situation in the state.

Matawalle said “a lot of success has been recorded since the commencement of the peace process”. 

“God Almighty has instructed the Muslim Ummah to dialogue with one another to resolve crisis, insecurity and injustice in order to foster unity,  understanding and love between one another”. 

Matawalle further said that his administration would not fold its arms and allow his people to be killed in cold blood but must adopt options that will stop the bloodletting in the state.

He also explained that his administration inherited the insecurity from the past administration but with his peace initiative, the situation has been reduced to a minimum level of which now makes citizens of the state to move freely without any fear of attacks or kidnapping as was the case before he became chief executive of the state. 

He said that security was everybody’s responsibility which needed collective approach by all well meaning citizens for the purpose of having a peaceful state where every Nigerian can move freely at all times. 

He urged people to stop politicising security issue, lamenting that “it affecting everybody irrespective of his politics, race , religion or genda”. 

He called for a united and wholistic approach to the current security situation bedevilling the nothern region and the country at large. 

Matawalle also appreciated the effort of the renowned Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gummi for his boldness and sacrifice to visit some of  Zamfara State forests where he met with the bandits in order to preach the need for peace to them and to know the reason behind their unholy acts against their fellow citizens.

He charged Islamic Scholars at all levels to emulate Sheikh Ahmad Gummi in reaching the bandits through teachings and preaching the word of God in Islam. 

Earlier in his preaching, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gummi attributed the security situation in the state to illiteracy and urged Federal and State governments as a matter of urgency to initiate programmes that would equip the bandits with both Western and Islamic knowledge. 

The Islamic Scholar added that through education, all killings of innocent souls and destruction of valuable properties would be stopped in the region immediately. 

He further pointed out that the level of illiteracy in most of the forest dwellers has caused a lot of damage to the nothern states which calls for governments at all levels to invest more in education. 

Sheikh Ahmad Gummi also advised Islamic Scholars to extend their Da’awa and the preachings to rural areas saying most of the people living in the forest lack knowledge of Islam and that they don’t know their rights or wrong in most of their dealings.

Today’s weekly state preaching was attended by the Former Deputy Governor, Mallam Ibrahim Wakkala Muhammad, Chief of Staff, Col Bala Mande rtd, Head of Service, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe, PDP State Chairman, Alhaji Tukur Umar Danfulani Maikatako, Emirs of Gusau, Maru and Kotorkoshi Alhaji Ibrahim Bello, Alhaji Abubakar Maigari and Alhaji Ahmad Umar respectively .

Others include Commissioners, Special advisers, Permanent Secretaries, Directors General and Islamic Scholars.