Zamfara Governor Criticizes Allowing Bandits to Keep Weapons During Negotiations

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State expressed concerns about the practice of allowing armed groups to keep weapons during negotiations, stating it undermines state authority and erodes the rule of law. He delivered this message during a lecture at the Executive Intelligence Management Course organized by the Nigerian Institute for Security Studies in Abuja.

The lecture focused on non-state actor security management issues and the challenges and prospects for peace development in Africa, with a specific perspective on Zamfara State. Gov Lawal highlighted the evolving security landscape in Africa, emphasizing the increasing role of non-state actors in challenging state control over the use of force, including civil defense groups, insurgents, bandits, and transnational criminal networks.