Surrender a rifle, get two cows - Governor Matawalle tells bandits

Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle of Zamfara state has told bandits in the state to surrender their rifles in exchange for cows.

The Zamfara State Governor who made the announcement as he hosted the Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu, Director General, Department of State Security Services, Yusuf Bichi and other heads of Intelligence Units of military and police, stated that bandits in the state will get two cows for each rifle they surrender.

Matawalle added that they don’t want to give the bandits money because they will use it to purchase new weapons.

He said;

“For every rifle submitted by a repentant bandit, there would be compensation of two cows.

“We don’t want to give them money, so they wouldn’t use the money to purchase new weapons.

“We said we will compensate them with cows, they are Fulani and they need the cows to advance their economic interest.

“We also told the repentant bandits that all “Dabas” (Camps) in the forests should be disbanded. We won’t accept a situation where the bandits will disarm and then go back to the forest and be staying in these camps or Dabas .

“We asked them to either come to town and be reintegrated into the society or be given economic empowerment where they are, so that they would start a new life.

“Most of them are residing in forests under the shades of trees and inside caves. That is why we came up with RUGA policy to help them.”

The Governor who described Zamfara state as the epicentre of armed banditry in the country, stated that the whole North West and the country in general would be secured if the security operatives can deal with the menace.