Lawal Vows No Negotiation With Bandits As Zamfara Hosts Security Summit

Governor, Dauda Lawal, has called for stronger joint security operations across the Northwest, insisting that criminals who reject peace and threaten innocent citizens must face the full force of the law.

Lawal spoke on Wednesday when Zamfara hosted a three-day Northwest Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Police Force at the Government House in Gusau.

The summit, themed “Appraising the Security Challenges in the Northwest Region,” was attended by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, representatives of Northwest states, security and intelligence chiefs, traditional rulers, community leaders and civil society organisations.

Declaring the summit open, Lawal said Zamfara was an appropriate location for the meeting because of its position at the frontline of the security crisis affecting the region.

“This is significant because Zamfara remains at the frontline of the security challenges confronting the Northwest,” the governor said.

He said the crisis had gone beyond isolated criminal activities, with organised networks involved in banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling across state borders.

According to him, the activities have continued to threaten livelihoods, food security, education, investment and the social fabric of the region.

Lawal also identified thuggery, substance abuse and radical infiltration as emerging urban security threats requiring coordinated responses.

He said criminal networks did not recognise state boundaries, making closer cooperation among states and security agencies essential.

“Our security must operate cohesively. Intelligence in Zamfara can prevent attacks elsewhere, and operations nearby can disrupt threats in Zamfara,” he said.

The governor called for real-time intelligence sharing, coordinated operations, inter-state surveillance and community policing, alongside sustained efforts to disrupt the financial and logistical networks supporting organised crime.

He urged participants to leave the summit with practical measures rather than another diagnosis of the region’s security challenges.

“We must, therefore, challenge ourselves to leave Gusau not merely with another diagnosis of insecurity, but with actionable options,” Lawal said.

He also called for measures to restrict criminals’ movements and cut their supply chains, including routes, markets, intermediaries, financiers and other facilitators.

The governor further asked security agencies to examine how vulnerable corridors could be secured without disrupting legitimate economic activities and how networks of informants and facilitators could be dismantled.

Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police said securing the Northwest was a collective responsibility because of the region’s strategic importance to Nigeria.

“We are combining states to tackle the issue of insecurity. We have come together, we police together, we share intelligence together,” Disu said.

“We have made up our minds to take the fight to these criminals. We have made up our minds to do this; that is why we summoned this summit.”

The IGP assured residents that the Nigeria Police Force would continue to deploy personnel, capabilities and partnerships to secure the region and support state governments and other security agencies.

“As Inspector-General of Police, I assure you that the Nigeria Police Force will continue to deploy its capabilities, personnel and partnerships towards securing the region,” he said.

Disu, however, stressed that effective policing required the support and cooperation of local communities.

“But we also recognise that policing is most effective when it is supported by the people,” he added.