A top commander of bandits will soon surrender - Governor Matawalle

The Zamfara state governor, Mohammed Matawalle, has disclosed that negotiations are ongoing to get some commanders of bandits to surrender their arms.

He said the son of a slain bandits’ leader called Buharin Daji, his mother and a top leader of the bandits, are among those expected to embrace peace soon, Daily Trust reported.

Matawalle made the disclosure on Thursday, February 4, when he met with a delegation led by Sheik Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, who was in the state to hold a peace meeting with bandits.

The governor stated that he would explore negotiations with the bandits as a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

He said: “If I had not had enough courage, I could have abandoned the peace deal with armed men because of the pressure being mounted on me by those who think there should not be such initiatives.

“I’m being blackmailed from different quarters for having a dialogue with the armed bandits."

He said peace was returning to some communities because of the negotiations.