Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Terrorists won’t be defeated unless Buhari rids security forces of criminals: Matawalle

• April 16, 2021
Matawalle and Bandits
Zamfara Governor, Bello Matawalle and Bandits used to illustrate the story

Governor Bello Matawalle has insisted that Nigeria’s armed forces will not defeat Boko Haram insurgents and bandits unless President Muhammadu Buhari flushes out criminal elements from the country’s security forces.

“The nation will not defeat the criminals with such bad eggs within the security architecture,” he pointed out.

He stated this while suspending the district head of Badarawa in Shinkafi Emirate Council, Surajo Namakkah.

The district head was suspended indefinitely by the governor for conferring the traditional title of Durumbu on a military officer arrested for allegedly selling ammunition to bandits in the state.

A statement issued on Friday in Gusau by the governor’s spokesman, Yusuf Idris, said the government would not tolerate anything capable of destroying Zamfara’s hard-earned peace.

Mr Matawalle pledged to ensure that anybody found wanting in any way will be dealt with accordingly.

The governor also warned that traditional rulers must seek approval before conferring titles to avoid unnecessarily embarrassing the government and the traditional institution.

According to Mr Matawalle, the military officer was arrested for supplying ammunition to “one Kabiru Bashiru of Maniya village, Shinkafi Emirate,” and collecting “advance payment of N100,000 from bandits.”

The governor commended security agencies for arresting “one Dr Kamarawa,” who was in possession of four sets of military camouflage and army identification card.

He added that Kamarawa specialised in the supply of army uniforms and medicaments to bandits in Zamfara.

Mr Matawalle expressed sadness over “the involvement of some irresponsible security personnel in banditry,” saying it would sabotage ongoing operations and make it impossible to end banditry in the country.

The governor assured that all those arrested in connection with banditry in the state would face the full wrath of the law.

He commended heads of security agencies’ efforts in the state to fight against banditry and appealed to residents to cooperate with them by providing genuine information on criminals.

(NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Migrants' boat

Africa

144 refugees, migrants dead, missing off Mauritania coast: UNHCR

“The refugees and migrants were reported dead or missing after attempting the perilous sea journey from West Africa towards Europe,” the agency said.

Daniel Ortega and Marco Rubio

World

U.S. govt condemns Ortega’s ban on elections in Nicaragua 

Mr Rubio urged the international community to rise against Mr Ortega’s dictatorship.

Oleksandr Syrskyi

World

Zelensky sacks Ukraine’s top general after firing defence minister

Mr Syrskyi’s dismissal came days after Mr Zelensky fired Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, a decision that sparked protests across the country.

OIL AND GAS FACILITY

Heading 1

FG awards 37 oil, gas blocks to 31 firms

A total of 143 companies submitted 200 bids for 37 of the 50 oil and gas blocks originally put on offer.

Edo Assembly speaker Blessing Agbebaku

States

Edo assembly passes revenue harmonisation bill, targets unified IGR

The bill was approved following its third reading during plenary.

Burna Boy

Hot news Home top

 Burna Boy ranked as Africa’s best-selling artiste with 14.46 million equivalent album units

The 14.46 million equivalent album units were derived from a combination of album sales, physical and digital single sales, and streaming equivalents.