The Situation Room on Monitoring the War Against Banditry has implored President Bola Tinubu to freeze federal allocations to Zamfara State and declare a state of emergency, citing Governor Dauda Lawal’s purported role in perpetuating the region’s rampant banditry.
The advocacy group levelled explosive accusations against Lawal, claiming his administration’s handling of security votes has effectively subsidized criminal elements operating from the shadows.
“This is nothing short of feeding bandits right from Government House,” the group stated, pointing to Lawal’s recent viral video where he openly disclosed knowledge of bandit kingpins’ hideouts but stopped short of decisive action
At a press conference, Patriot Henry Abba, convener of the Situation Room, decried the Governor’s statements as a “damning admission of guilt” that has plunged Zamfara deeper into chaos.
“It’s shocking, heartbreaking – a blatant betrayal of trust and a catastrophic leadership failure,” Abba thundered.
He argued that Lawal’s reluctance to relay this critical intelligence to federal security outfits has transformed the state into a “notorious graveyard,” where abductions, massacres, and mass displacements have become the grim routine for innocent residents.
Abba painted a harrowing picture of Zamfara’s plight: villages reduced to rubble, families torn apart by nightly raids, and farmlands abandoned under the shadow of fear.
Despite the state’s substantial security budget – reportedly N3 billion disbursed monthly – Lawal’s professed helplessness was dismissed as “utterly irresponsible.”
The convener slammed it as a direct affront to frontline troops risking their lives and a desecration of the sacrifices made by fallen heroes in the fight against insurgency.
Dismissing attempts by the Governor’s supporters to spin the video as a desperate appeal for federal aid, Abba insisted, “This isn’t a plea; it’s a confession. He knows the exact dens of these murderers yet opts for inaction while his citizens perish.”
He challenged Lawal to substantiate any claims of prior intelligence-sharing with agencies like the military or police, questioning why such vital information has seemingly evaporated into bureaucratic voids.
The allegations extend beyond the video. The Situation Room accused Lawal of enabling a system where local government allocations, intended for rural development, are siphoned off into personal coffers.
“Chairmen are holed up in Gusau, far from their domains, turning grassroots funds into illicit windfalls,” Abba revealed, fueling suspicions of widespread graft amid the security vacuum.
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Whispers of political maneuvering further tainted the narrative.
Some observers, echoed by the group, speculate that Lawal’s public outburst was a calculated ploy to vilify the Tinubu administration and deflect scrutiny from his own governance lapses.
“It’s politics pushed to extremes – a theatrical bid to obscure the anarchy in Zamfara’s lawless frontiers,” Abba opined, branding the governor’s approach as evidence of a “morally adrift leadership devoid of purpose.”
The Situation Room called on Tinubu for immediate suspension of Zamfara’s federal allocations until a thorough audit clears the air on security vote expenditures.
They advocated for a collaborative investigation involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of State Services (DSS), and the Office of the National Security Adviser to unearth any diversions of public resources to criminal ends.
The group demanded a National Assembly-led inquiry to grill Lawal on his stewardship, emphasizing transparency in how security intelligence is managed.
“We need safeguards for whistleblowers and victims who’ve been muzzled,” Abba stressed, underscoring the peril faced by those daring to speak out.
