The governor of Zamfara state, Bello Matawalle has pledged that his government will no longer provide amnesty for bandits who have continuously ravaged the state.
Matawalle said that his decision was borne out of the fact that the hoodlums have failed to accept the peace initiative offered by the state government.
The Zamfara state governor stated this on Friday after attending the Jumat prayer at the Dalala Mosque in Gusau, the state capital.
“They (bandits) sent a powerful committee to plead with us to cease fire and allow supply (of food and other essential commodities) but I refused,” said the governor who spoke in Hausa.
“What we are doing to bandits is to send them to God, so they can answer their questions.”
He asked residents to be patient and support the new security measures put in place by the government to flush out bandits and their collaborators, for peace to reign in Zamfara.
According to the governor, bandits who are currently facing the heat of the superior fire of security operatives have sent some persons to inform him that they have repented.
He added that the criminals were ready for a dialogue over the security situation in Zamfara, but it was too late for them to have a rethink.
Governor Matawalle commended the security agencies for the successes recorded in the ongoing onslaught against the criminals in the state.
He revealed that some of the bandits were running out of Zamfara to other states, as a result of the suffering imposed by the new security measures introduced by the state government to cut off the supply of food, petrol, and other essential commodities to them in the bush.
The governor also challenged politicians to fear God and avoid buying motorcycles to distribute to people to sell to bandits, who use them to perpetrate their evil acts.
“Politicians distributing motorcycles must stop, we will not dialogue again, we’ll continue to deal and fight with the bandits,” he said.
Zamfara is one of the worst-hit states by banditry in the North West where armed men have abducted hundreds of schoolchildren.
The decision to stop pardoning bandits comes a week after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) directed telecommunications providers to shut down services in Zamfara for a period of two weeks.
NCC’s directive was to enable relevant security agencies carry out the required activities towards addressing the security challenges in the state, said a memo sent to one of the telecommunications providers.
The document dated September 3 and signed by the Vice-Chairman of the agency, Professor Umar Danbatta, added that the shutdown period would end on September 17.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
