It was not longer news that the entire Northern states of Nigeria was overridden by by the negative activities of Banditry, kidnappings ,Boko Haram,Cattle rustling and other forms of criminal activities,that rendered the already known and assessible Northern parts of the country,left to the shadows of itself.
This ugly developement had precluded the proliferation of economic,social and other activities and reverted to low ebb,while indigenous and foreign investors designated the Northern parts of the country as war zones or flash points, against many of it’s developmental and people oriented programs.
Aside the no go area and proliferation of Boko Haram activities in the North West, other foreign and indigenous criminals working in connivance with some disgruntled elements gradually annexed the North-East,making governance a very difficult assignment for both states and local governments.
But, since his assumption of office as the new Governor of Zamfara State in the North- East,an area regarded as a staple of all the criminal activities, particularly Kidnappings,cattle rustling and Banditry that had been a recurring decimal, Governor,Bello Matawalle through riot acts, gave a quit notice to all forms criminal and social problems, by holding stakeholders in the state, as responsible for any form of security related issues in the state.
In the last 20 months,it has been a positive change and response by the security architecture of the state government, designed by the new administration that had yielded so many encouraging reports.
The government of Bello Matawalle in Zamfara State using both end of the stick declared a total war on bandits and kidnappers as well cattle rustlers, along with amnesty for volunteers and informants of the same awkward traits, that had thrown the areas to serious security threats.
This developement brought the most dreaded form of criminalities that had brought the area to unquantified backwardness, both in economic,social activities in Zamfara state and it’s neighbouring states of Kebbi and Sokoto states to the barest minimum,hence the return of peace , developement to the state.
A state where hitherto top government officials both at the state and federal level cannot freely carry out their statutory activities, because of the dangers and risk of been kidnapped,had normalcy returned from the wisdom of the new administration of Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State.
It is out of rare government strategy of the goverment of Bello Matawalle that life gradually returned to normalcy with security of lives and properties adequately guaranteed ,hence returning the usual hustle and bustle of economic,social and other developmental programs back to the state, including local and foreign investors and their Investements.
Zamfara state blessed with some natural potentials from agricultural products to gold and other precious materials soon became the haven of Investements, with a leading roles in the sourcing of raw materials for the production of these items deserving the attention of both the state and federal authorities, through ensuring an enabling environment,which will make the process of extraction as another source of alternative income for the State and Federal government.
The extraction of the precious items that was in commercial abundance in the state,and illegally being utilised by local extractors and their collaborsotrs, was brought to limelight and public glare by the current administration.
Hence when maximally utilised, Zamfara State will no longer rely on the federal allocations to the state,having improved on the internally generated revenue in the state,the economy of the state and other neighborhood states.
This was discovered in the midst of highly prioritised improved security architecture, put in place to protect lives and properties of residents and visitors to the state on a business and other trips, that will trigger more developement to the young state .
This great achievements against threats to lives and properties that precluded the accelerated developement of the state, came back on track with a domesticated conjecture to secure both the boaders and the entire state from criminal elements.
Governor Matawalle who doubles as the chief security officer of the state in synergy with security agencies and local outfits put in place by the state government, has returned peace to the state through vigilance,negotiations,confrontation and strategic overtures.
The decision to adopt carrot and stick approach both in the operation of various securtiy outfits in it’s encounter with bandits, kidnappers and cattle rustlers,has protected the state and it’s neighbouring states from the attacks of criminals, turning the state and the entire Northern states into a haven and staple of unwanted nuisance.
This had resulted positively to the subtle negotiations and peaceful resolutions with the agents of foreign bandit’s, who have turned the Northern states as their routine area of operation,leading to international embarrassment.
In deploying the carrot and stick approach,so as to protect the areas from the operation of these bandits with the efforts of security agencies, Zamfara State Governor recently secured the release of over 300 Government Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State, who were massively abducted from the school environment , through the strategic approach that had guaranteed the return of peace, security and developement of the Northern states,that is gradually becoming the new base of operation of their illicit deals.
This adminstrative acumen attracted both local and international commendation along with her agencies on the foresight, security,human development and protection of Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State.
The renewed resurgence of armed bandit’s, kidnappers,cattle rustlers in the state,few years after the return of normalcy is entangled with the efforts of the politicians with inordinate ambitions, geared towards making the state ungovernable,using the criminals activities as a spring board to carry out their unpatriotic and nefarious activities.
This is geared towards returning the state to the part of underdevelopment,so as to capitalize on the current situations to prosecute their next strategy towards the 2023 political adventure.
Having developed a well articulated security template,there is no doubt that the assemblage of securtiy agencies deployed to the state in collaboration with the well designed counter approach of the state government, will confront the bandits to disallow the politically motivated intiatives not to see the light of the day.
Since security is the bane of rapid socio-economic growth and development of all sectors,Governor Matawalle is proactively unrelenting to end both the insitgated and deliberate attacks on the people of Zamfara State.
Abubakar Yusuf Writes For OBSERVERS TIMES.