Three repentant bandits surrender 30 AK-47 rifles, 2 rocket launchers, in Zamfara [photo]

Three repentant bandits have surrendered 30 AK-47 riffles, 2 rocket launchers and other dangerous weapons to Zamfara State governor, Alhaji Bello Matawalle.

The bandits were led by Muhammed Sani, son of a former notorious bandit, Buharin Daji who was killed by security operatives few years ago in an operation.

The surrender, CAPITAL POST learnt, followed a peace deal initiated by the State governor to embrace amnesty for bandits, which some of them have agreed.

While receiving the weapons at the Government House, Gusau on Thursday from Zakwi and other criminals, the governor expressed hope that the peace deal would yield more results, while he called on other bandits to come out of the forest and live their normal life.

Matawalle noted that the peace deal was not only in the interest of Zamfara alone, but the country at large.

“We are doing this dialogue
God in his infinite mercy is giving us success everyday. Anybody witnessing these boys surrendering these weapons today will now understand and agree with the Government on the peace accord with these guys.

“Of course these catches of ammunition have been in the bush for long upon all the engagements with our security agencies, we are still having this kind of sophisticated weapons in the hands of the bandits.”

No fewer than 30 AK-47 rifles, 2 GPRP rifles, rocket launchers and a large cache of ammunition were surrendered by Muhammed Sani, popularly known as Zakwi.

The repentant bandit, Zakwi, who took over leadership from his late father Buharin Daji, one of most dreaded bandits in the state, swore with the Holy Qur’an that, henceforth, he would never return to his past life.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, 16th February, 2020, Zamfara State National Assembly caucus threw their weight behind the peace deal with bandits by the State governor, Bello Matawalle.

The caucus which comprised of lawmakers at the upper and lower legislative Chambers at a world press conference, explained that some of those elements were forced into crime by the lack of social justice in the society.

Leader of the caucus, Senator Ya’u Shahabi explained that there was need to apply what he called “carrot and dagger”, approach in the handling of banditry related issues, saying that frontal attack wasn’t yielding the desired results.

The caucus said, banditry attacks in Zamfara and other parts of North West predates governor Matawalle’s administration, hence, they were satisfied with the peace deal he has initiated so far, whilenthey called on other States to strike peace deal too.

“We call on other States in the North West region of this country to also initiate peace dialogues in their various States.”