A former governorship candidate in Zamfara State, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, has called on security agencies to act immediately against the rising wave of armed banditry. Shinkafi, who also served as National Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, stressed that military personnel must work in synergy with the state government to curb the escalating insecurity.
He referenced a recent warning from Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa, who said that commanders who offer excuses for not receiving orders from Abuja would face court‑martial. Shinkafi argued that security agencies should not wait for directives from the capital before taking action, noting that the military’s constitutional mandate to protect lives and property is enshrined in Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution.
The security situation in Zamfara has become dire, with armed bandits killing, wounding, abducting and displacing residents from their ancestral homes. While Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration has procured advanced technology—such as environmental remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) tools—to track bandit activities, Shinkafi said security agencies have been slow to respond to intelligence reports and to intervene decisively to stop attacks and safeguard lives and property.
Shinkafi expressed concern that the politicisation of Zamfara’s security crisis by influential politicians in Abuja is worsening the problem. He reminded President Bola Tinubu that the primary purpose of any government is to protect lives and promote the welfare of its people, and urged the president to intervene to ensure public safety and order in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda.
Estimating that no more than 20,000 bandits operate across 14 local government areas, Shinkafi claimed they could be flushed out within two months if the military and state government collaborate effectively. He highlighted that the Nigerian military and other paramilitary forces are well‑trained and equipped, having demonstrated their capabilities in numerous peace‑keeping missions worldwide. According to Shinkafi, the main obstacle to ending insecurity in Zamfara is a lack of political will to crush the bandits.
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