Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, has said he can wipe out banditry in the state within two months if he is given control over security agencies.
The governor, in a video that has gone viral, explained that he knows the exact places where the bandits hide. But he cannot act because security officers in Zamfara take orders only from Abuja.
Governor Lawal said: "I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandit leader is in Zamfara State, I know it. If he goes out, I know.
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"With my phone, I can show you where they are today. But we cannot do anything beyond our powers."
The governor became emotional as he narrated how residents suffer repeated attacks while security operatives delay because they are waiting for clearance from the federal government.
He recalled one incident in Shinkafi Local Government Area where bandits attacked and security forces refused to move without instructions from Abuja.
"If today I have the power to give orders to the security agencies, I can assure you, we will end banditry in Zamfara within two months.
"Most of the time I shed tears for my people, because I see the problem but I cannot order the security men to act in time," he lamented.
Lawal explained that despite not having direct control, his government has been supporting security efforts.
He said 150 patrol vehicles were shared among the Police, Army, DSS and Civil Defence.
He also noted that thousands of Community Protection Guards and 2,000 hunters from Borno and Yobe states were recruited to join the fight.
"The politicisation of insecurity is not hurting me as a person; it is destroying Zamfara. Some people do not want us to succeed. But I will not stop trying," the governor added.
Zamfara has faced one of the worst banditry crises in northern Nigeria, with kidnappings, killings, and mass displacement of villagers. Many citizens have protested in Gusau, the state capital, accusing leaders of failing to protect them.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu recently said his government is considering the creation of state police to tackle insecurity, alongside the use of drones and forest guards in troubled areas.
