Security stakeholders have called for intensified surveillance of Nigeria’s borders to curb arms and drug infiltration fuelling banditry and kidnapping in parts of the country.
The stakeholders presented the position when Governor Dauda Lawal hosted a delegation led by former Colombian national security adviser, Sergio Jaramillo, in Gusau, Zamfara, on Wednesday.
They called on the Zamfara government to take measures that would heighten surveillance of porous borders to stop the infiltration of arms and other substances being used by bandits.
The meeting, chaired by Mr Lawal, was attended by a delegation led by Mr Jaramillo, with officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser. Others included top Zamfara government officials, representatives of civil society organisations, members of the academia, traditional rulers, among others.
They suggested that negotiations with bandits must only be from a position of strength rather than weakness, and called for the inclusion of traditional institutions in efforts to tackle insecurity.
The stakeholders were of the strong opinion that flushing out bandits and other criminal elements would restore peace in the North-West region.
During the meeting, the police commissioner, Zamfara, Ahmad Bello, noted that the challenge in the fight against banditry was not the failure of intelligence but operational failures.
Mr Bello, who harped on various measures, suggested the need for authorities to improve operational capability to restore law and order in the state and the region.
Mr Jaramillo said the delegation was in Zamfara to share experiences with stakeholders on how to end insecurity in the state and beyond.
The governor restated that negotiation with bandits or any other criminal elements could only be from a position of strength, not weakness.
The Zamfara government earlier called for the establishment of a victims support fund as an integral part of the wider security and peacebuilding framework.
The secretary to the state government, Abubakar Nakwada agreed to chair the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Peace and Security Committee.
The SSG reiterated that the activities and approach of the Committee would be anchored on Mr Lawal’s administration’s resolve that reconciliation must be pursued from a position of strength, within the rule of law, and without compromising justice, accountability or the security of communities.
According to him, there is an urgent need for a well-structured Zamfara State Victims Support Fund framework as an integral component of a wider peace and security architecture.
The SSG had led a joint delegation including Intermediate-UK, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) and other peacebuilding teams to inspect the North-West DDR Camp for Operation Safe Corridor located in Tsafe.
The multibillion-naira facility was donated by the Zamfara Government as part of its commitment to peacebuilding in the North-Western region.
Mr Jaramillo said their teams would partner with the Zamfara Government and other stakeholders to develop a workable strategy that would address the state’s security challenges.
“The problem you are facing today is exactly the same problem we faced in Colombia. Our aim is to make the lives of the people better.
“I want to see how we can help and also learn. There are more things we can do together. The problem of crime can never disappear, but we can reduce it,” Mr Jaramillo said.