The Chairman of the Zamfara State Committee on Prosecution of Bandits Related Offences, Abdullahi Shinkafi, at a press briefing in Gusau, Zamfara State, alleged that security agencies, judges and lawyers are protecting criminals, including bandits in Zamfara State.
Shinkafi had declared: “The major problem we are having is from the security agencies and the judges and lawyers who are protecting these criminals. When you arrest a bandit with 11 AK-47 rifles, which evidence are you waiting for, he needs to be sent to his creator. When an armed bandit was caught in an act, killing people and you are waiting for investigation, what are you investigating for? Send him to his creator.”
The Zamfara State Committee on Prosecution of Bandits Related Offences also insisted that the repentant notorious Bandit leader, Bello Turji, must surrender his weapons in the public, denounce banditry, and announces his repentance, before he will be considered as having genuinely repented.
Shinkafi noted that in the past six months, there has been no attack or mass kidnapping of persons in Shinkafi Local Government and other communities in Zurmi Local Government, including adjourning Isa and Sabon-Birnin communities of Sokoto State where Turji has been operating.
The chairman, however, stated that the lack of attack does not imply that the bandit has changed for the better from
Shinkafi had declared: “As far as I am concern, I know that he has embraced peace but I cannot say that he has repented because if he has repented, he has to surrender all his arms and ammunitions, come to the government and submit his arms like what other repentant bandits did.”
The chairman, acknowledging the statement of Deputy Governor Hassan Nasiha of Zamfara State, that Bello Turji has embraced a peace deal, maintained that he will not give in to compromise and be part of peace talks with any bandit, saying that such action being taken by many of them is deception. He lamented the prolonged investigations and delayed prosecution of arrested bandits and their collaborators.
Shinkafi stated: “Anything to do with dialogue with bandits, count me out because most of them are not trustworthy, they are not sincere, they are not honest, whatever you agreed with them, they will still go back to their bad business…”