Allowing bandits to keep weapons during negotiations counterproductive - Gov. Dauda Lawal

Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara, says peace negotiationsthat allow armed groups to retain their weapons only postpone violence anderode the authority of the state. Lawal spoke on Wednesday while delivering a lecture toparticipants of the Executive Intelligence Management Course (EIMC) 18 at theNational Institute for Security Studies (NISS) in Abuja. In a statement, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the governor’sspokesperson, said the lecture was titled: ‘Non-state Actors in SecurityManagement: Issues, Challenges, and Prospects for Peace and Development inAfrica – A Zamfara State Perspective.’ The participants, according to the statement, includedofficials from Nigeria’s security agencies and counterparts from Chad, Ghana,Rwanda, Somalia, and Gambia. Lawal said the forum offered a chance to reflect onZamfara’s experience, which mirrors broader security and development challengesacross Africa. He noted that Africa’s security landscape has evolved overthe past two decades, with the monopoly of force once held by the stateincreasingly contested by non-state actors. “The idea that the state has exclusive control over the useof force is being challenged by community vigilantes, civil defence groups,insurgents, bandits, and transnational criminal networks,” he said. The governor added that the crisis in Zamfara stems fromyears of social and economic grievances, resource competition, climate change,and proliferation of small arms caused by regional conflicts. “When we assumed office in 2023, we made it clear thatsecurity of life and property remains the essence of governance,” he said. “Effective security management cannot succeed without theactive participation of the local community.” He said Zamfara’s approach rests on three pillars: strongercoordination among security agencies, the creation of Community ProtectionGuards to support law enforcement, and improved intelligence sharing amongtraditional rulers, local councils, and security operatives. The governor added that peace committees were set up acrossall local government areas, including emirs, imams, and youth leaders, tomediate disputes and rebuild trust. “We also partnered with the Office of the National SecurityAdviser and international partners such as Colombia on preventing andcountering violent extremism, focusing on rehabilitation and trauma healing,”he said. Lawal warned against what he described as “unregulated peaceefforts” in parts of the north-west, saying true peace requires disarmament. “Dialogue can aid conflict management, but reconciliationwithout control equates to surrender,” he said. “Allowing armed groups to keep their weapons while settingpeace terms only delays violence and compromises state sovereignty.” He added that peace initiatives must be strong, coordinated,and state-led to restore public confidence in the rule of law. “Sustainable peace arises when armed actors acknowledge therule of law and the government’s capacity to protect citizens,” the governorsaid.

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