The Zamfara State Government yesterday said there were no plans to dialogue or negotiate with terrorists or any criminal group but would wage war against them until they were eliminated from the state.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abubakar Nakwada, stated this while addressing reporters on the administration of Governor Dauda Lawal and that of his immediate predecessor, Bello Matawalle.
Matawalle’s government had initiated a peace dialogue with the bandits, which was stopped in September 2021, due to persistent bandit attacks on rural communities.
The SSG said the mission of Lawal’s government is to go after the criminals, flush them out and restore order and peace.
He expressed the administration’s commitment to ensuring accurate record-keeping, transparency and accountability in governance.
Nakwada warned that any public official who falls short of these ideals would face the consequences.
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Meanwhile, the SSG has said the state government is in talks with the National Examination Council (NECO) to resolve the three years’ backlog of unpaid examination fees by the past administration.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government accused the immediate past administration of expending N17.5 billion for the construction of the International Cargo Airport, saying nothing meaningful was done on the project.
The state government announced the suspension of permanent secretaries that were appointed after the 2023 general elections, as well as the newly created districts and village heads appointed from last December to May, this year.
It also revoked the landed properties in some areas in Gusau that were considered not to have been done in the public interest.
Nakwada assured workers and pensioners that the state government planned to pay salaries for this month and pension allowances yesterday to enhance their welfare.