Dangerous Alliance

Since the turn of the year, Zamfara state has been regarded as a ‘Bandits’ Abattoir’; detailing the gruesome and wanton killings, maiming and displacement of people by notorious armed bandits. Efforts of security agencies seemed not to have salvaged the situation as the menace continued unabated. Rising to the occasion, the governor of Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle, initiated a peace deal that will ensure a safe passage for willing and repentant bandits to surrender their arms and embrace peace. The peace deal has relatively influenced significant decline in reports of armed banditry in the state. There have also been media reports of bandits surrendering their weapons to government, releasing hostages, and even aiding in maintaining peace and security in the state.

Today’s media report says that repentant bandits in Zamfara state have now resorted to fighting their cohorts who are not ready to embrace the peace initiative of the government. Confirming this report, Zamfara state Police Commissioner, Usmam Nagogo, says that repentant bandits are now “the eyes and ears” of the police in the forest. He further gave instances where repentant bandits have taken on bandits who weren’t ready to toe the line of peace – arresting, killing and retrieving arms from them. Commending this development, the Commissioner asked for continued support in tackling insecurity in the state.

Going by media reports, the Zamfara state government’s peace deal is bringing the desired results by significantly reducing the rate of banditry in the state. However, using the repentant bandits as parallel security apparatus, which is leading them to kill to ‘unrepentant’ bandits is unacceptable. The police personnel in Zamfara state cannot sit back and watch bandits perform policing functions. The repentant bandits do not have the statutory backings and technical know-how required for security operations. Extrajudicial killings by non- security outfits are highly dangerous.  Blatant human rights abuses and increased killings are imminent if such practice continue.

It will be a dangerous alliance to allow repentant bandits without the requisite training to perform the duties of the police, when they can be effectively used as sources of  local intelligence. In essence, the state government together with the police force should devise strategy of engagement that will ensure that these repentant bandits do not go about killing people in the guise of fighting unrepentant bandits. Government in a solving a problem, should avoid creating another one.