Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has expressed joy over the return of peace and security in the state, saying that the state government was intentionally committed to stamping out criminal elements from the state.

Mr Lawal gave the assurance on Friday, while addressing a crowd of jubilant Zamfara residents, who staged a solidarity walk with the government for its giant strides in addressing banditry and kidnapping in parts of the state.

The event tagged “Walk for Peace,” was organised as part of the activities to commemorate the second anniversary of Mr Lawal’s administration.

Addressing the people, the governor affirmed his administration’s commitment to eliminating all forms of criminality in the state, focusing more on banditry and kidnapping.

He said, “Today, we all came out in thousands to walk for peace, to make the world know that Zamfara has significantly improved in terms of security. My administration has invested significant efforts and resources into empowering troops, gathering intelligence, collaborating and partnering with all stakeholders to restore peace. We have recorded tremendous success in the fight against banditry; most of the volatile areas, previously flashpoints of concern, are now peaceful. Roads that were once impassable and off-limit places are now open for travellers to move about freely. You can see how freely people move about their daily activities and how joyfully they come together in large numbers to walk for peace. This clearly indicates that our people are peaceful and desire peace.”

Mr Lawal emphasised that the walk clearly demonstrated that the people understood and appreciated what the state government was doing to promote peace.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Second Year Anniversary Committee that organised the event, Muktar Lugga, said the peace walk was organised in recognition of Lawal’s effort in promoting peace in the state.

According to Mr Lugga, who is the Chief of Staff, Government House, the peace walk would encourage people to unite against all forms of criminality in the state.

He said that the walk commenced from the Government House and proceeded to Freedom Square, located at the centre of Gusau, the state capital.

He said, “The peace walk is in consideration of the major achievements recorded in the area of security within the two years of Lawal’s administration.”

(NAN)