A civil society group has accused Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, of fuelling banditry and called on President Bola Tinubu to suspend federal allocations to the state and consider emergency rule.
The Situation Room on Monitoring the War Against Banditry made the appeal during a press briefing on Sunday, September 14.
Its convener, Patriot Henry Abba, said the governor’s recent public admission that he knows the locations of bandit kingpins without acting on the information was unacceptable.
“It’s shocking, heartbreaking – a blatant betrayal of trust and a catastrophic leadership failure,” Abba said.
The group alleged that Zamfara’s monthly security vote of about ₦600 million was being mismanaged, effectively empowering criminal gangs rather than tackling insecurity. “This is nothing short of feeding bandits right from Government House,” it stated.
Abba painted a grim picture of life in Zamfara, describing villages reduced to rubble, families torn apart by abductions, and farmlands abandoned as fear grips communities.
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He also accused local government chairmen of abandoning their constituencies to live in Gusau, where allocations meant for rural development were being diverted.
Dismissing claims that Lawal’s remarks were a plea for federal support, Abba insisted, “This isn’t a plea; it’s a confession. He knows the exact dens of these murderers yet opts for inaction while his citizens perish.”
The group urged President Tinubu to halt Zamfara’s federal funding until a full audit of security spending is carried out.
It also called for a joint investigation by the EFCC, DSS, and the Office of the National Security Adviser, alongside a National Assembly inquiry.
“If probes confirm Lawal’s complicity in sustaining bandit networks, there should be urgent contemplation of emergency rule in Zamfara,” Abba said.
The group further demanded safeguards for whistleblowers and victims who risk being silenced for speaking out.