Zamfara hosts Police security summit as Lawal vows no negotiation with bandits

Zamfara State has become the focal point for addressing the escalating security crisis in Nigeria's Northwest region, hosting a crucial three-day summit organized by the Nigeria Police Force. Governor Dauda Lawal used the platform to declare a firm stance against bandits, vowing that those who persist in violence and refuse peace will face the full force of the law.

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This is significant because Zamfara remains at the frontline of the security challenges confronting the Northwest. It provides an appropriate setting for an honest assessment of our challenges and, more importantly, the development of practical solutions.

The summit, themed 'Appraising the Security Challenges in the Northwest Region,' convened key stakeholders including the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, alongside representatives from Northwest states, heads of security and intelligence agencies, traditional rulers, and civil society organizations. Governor Lawal highlighted Zamfara's position on the front lines of the crisis, underscoring the summit's importance for an honest assessment and the development of practical solutions.

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The Northwest’s security crisis exceeds isolated crimes. Organised networks conduct banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling across borders, threatening livelihoods, food security, education, investment, and the social fabric.

"This is significant because Zamfara remains at the frontline of the security challenges confronting the Northwest," Lawal stated in his opening remarks. He elaborated on the nature of the crisis, describing it as more than isolated crimes, but rather organized networks engaging in banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling across borders. These activities, he noted, threaten livelihoods, food security, education, investment, and the region's social fabric, while also acknowledging emerging urban threats like thuggery and radical infiltration.

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This reality demands moving beyond fragmented responses because criminal networks ignore state boundaries. Our security must operate cohesively. Intelligence in Zamfara can prevent attacks elsewhere, and operations nearby can disrupt threats in Zamfara.

The governor stressed the urgent need for cohesive security strategies, arguing that fragmented responses are insufficient against criminal networks that disregard state boundaries. He called for enhanced intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, inter-state surveillance, community policing, and sustained disruption of the financial and logistical networks supporting organized crime. Lawal urged the summit participants to move beyond mere diagnosis and identify actionable options, particularly focusing on cutting off criminal supply chains and limiting their mobility.

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I urge this summit to consider practical measures to cut off criminal networks’ supply chains and limit their movement. Criminal enterprises rely on logistics including routes, markets, intermediaries, financiers, and networks.